DURBAN -
By now most of us have heard of Max's Lifestyle, a uniquely South-African shisa nyama which has been named one of the best restaurants in the world by American mass media company, Condé Nast.
Situated in the heart of Umlazi, Max's Lifestyle gives one the experience of a true shisa nyama with a VIP twist. Owner, Max Mqadi believes that, "Max's Lifestyle should be an experience rather just a restaurant."
He attributes having a clear vision of what he wanted his business to eventually become as the reason Max's Lifestyle has been operating for over 20 years.
The businessman also shared plans on extending the venue which currently caters for +- 200 people and boasts a upstairs VIP area.
The extension will include extending the VIP venue, the downstairs eating area, tarring the parking lot and building a boutique hotel with a conference center.
The business has had its fair share of international exposure, including hosting foreign nationals and participating in international interviews during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Max says his shisa nyama has received calls from New Zealand and the Netherlands with requests and bookings to dine at his restaurant.
He also plans on franchising his restaurants to Johannesburg, Cape Town and maybe overseas. Speaking on the challenges he has encountered whilst building his brand, he details the challenge of not being able to secure bank funding due to the lack of collateral to borrow off of.
His other major obstacle has been competition, "once you start something everyone wants to do that thing, which is why we have to be very creative,'' he said He also counts the idea of people labeling townships as dangerous places and the idea that people are downgrading if they work in the township, as an obstacle too.
Max's Lifestyle continues to host major events including the Metro FM Awards wrap party and the Durban July after party on the Sunday after the main race.