It is a generation like no other, one that would rather go out and live their best lives than be stuck in a kitchen fixing a plate to eat.
Gen Z is truly leaving its mark on everything it touches– and the food industry is no exception.
They have quickly shifted the hotel industry market and unlike previous generations where a warm home-cooked meal would suffice, this one has its eyes set on getting their belly full in a restaurant.
While they try to defy decades of health advice by embracing a holistic attitude about food that transcends taste and calories, this generation is fueled by a desire for new recipes.
It is for this reason that pop-up restaurants have solidified a spot on almost every corner of estate shopping centres trying to tap into this coveted, but elusive audience by offering affordable meals on the go.
In Buruburu estate Phase four for example, restaurants such as Tavis and Kookoo stand right opposite each other targeting this very generation by providing different delicacies for the different taste palates.
One a fast food joint and the other, a home-style cooked joint seem to have tapped into the business that Gen Z as they like to refer to themselves.
Tavis restaurant seems to have its eyes set on what have long been known as “street food” tries to offer that home-cooked meal by offering some very imaginative and crave-able food in mind by marrying the two elements and creating an eating culture that Gen Z is appreciating.
By marrying minimalistic food on the go and creating authentic flavours that keep consumers interested Tavis is catering to the consumer eating habits which have shifted from the traditional three-meals-a-day and also adopting an ethnically diverse taste bud than previous generations.
The restaurant, which opened its doors last year with a view of being the go-to pork place in the area. The cozy restaurant with unique design elements and modern lighting shifted from an all-you-can-eat pork joint to shifting gears after realising what the market was craving.
Based on inquiries they got from their clients, they managed to turn the place into the perfect ambience for a new level of creativity and freedom that traditional restaurants do not offer.
The chef, Peter David Kirugo, says the new clientele have opened their business to a market which wants good food on the go no matter the hour of day, which is why they have to prepare their meals very early in the day until late in the night.
“Once we learnt that people are no longer interested in the typical generic dishes. We had to experiment with new menu choices and introduce new flavours and that is what set up above the rest,” he says.
For a generation that does not adhere to the typical three meals a day they also knew they had to make generous portions while sticking to a pocket friendly menu, says the chef.
“Other than that we also had to make sure that we have fresh farm products that are locally sourced and that includes the meat we selldown right to the tea and coffee among other beverages,” he says.
And because this generation is the kind that do not do the restaurant scene often but instead prefer to have their meals cooked for them and delivered to their doorstep it is no wonder they have their menu items delivered by firms such as Bolt he adds.
