By: Noxolo Majavu
Instead of sitting back and resting on his laurels, hospitality and lifestyle consultant Abel Mokoena continues to help improve restaurants and lifestyle spots in the Durban area through his consultancy agency.
Mokoena, who is a member of Durban University of Technology Hotel & Hospitality Advisory Board, started Elevate Restaurant Management Consulting Agency during the Covid-19 pandemic when most people were being laid off.
A few years later, he is now reaping the fruits of his labour. He recently secured big brands such as The Social at the eMakhosini Boutique Hotel in Morningside and Lime Rooftop in Umhlanga.
“I started Elevate Management Consulting Agency in 2021 after Covid-19 when I lost my job. I have always had a yearning to do my own thing.
“… we help restaurants in terms of marketing and operations efficiency. We help the restaurant elevate in terms of brand growth, controls, training and compliance,” he told Vutivi News.
Mokoena was born and bred in KwaThema, near Springs in Gauteng. He said that he often passed restaurants with his father, who worked hard to raise him and his sibling, and that they could not afford to eat at them.
He always had a longing to eat in a nice restaurant and to move from the township to greener pastures. Mokoena started working as a part-time waiter in Durban in 1998.
“I was not there for too long because I quickly climbed the ladder to senior restaurant manager at another establishment. In 2011, I was headhunted by uShaka Marine World executives to become the food and beverage operations manager and subsequently promoted to a food and beverage executive in the same year,” he said.
Mokoena, who has worked in the hospitality industry for over 25 years, was the group managing director of Luma Life Hospitality Group in Durban, when he lost his job.
Starting his business during the pandemic was not easy because most restaurants were closed, and when economic activity resumed, everyone was on a cost saving exercise. However, he did not give up.
“I chose hospitality because I love people and I am very good with people. I also love travelling. I do not like being complacent and doing the same thing repeatedly. I like multitasking and that is how I fell in love with the industry. Just like that,” he told Vutivi News.
Mokoena said his consultancy played an important role in beefing up establishments.
He pointed out that what made a restaurant stand out from its competitors was its service, excellence, style, online presence and prices.
“The level of food, service, and overall experience is what guests expect to find at a high-quality restaurant. It implies a high standard of excellence in various aspects of the restaurant.
“It is not always easy when you must also pay attention to staffing and supplier issues. Our task is to put systems in place and constantly audit and monitor how the team is doing,” Mokoena said.
