"Our mission, vision, and values guide everything we do, keeping us grounded in our
commitment to making a difference in our community."
A Transformation Journey by Rasheed Jaiyeola, Founder/ CEO
The idea to start up Bukka Hut was conceived in March 2011 and one of the feats we pride
ourselves on was being able to conceptualize,
and prepare a business plan, raise capital, register the business, identify our flagship
location in Lekki Phase 1, renovate, recruit staff,
and eventually commence business operations within 5 months, by 01 August 2011. But this
is not the story.
The true essence of who we are today lies in the stories of our people, the driving
force behind our success.
One of our pioneer staff was a 24-year-old woman who had just finished her youth
service.
On the day of her recruitment exercise, she travelled over seven hours from Ilorin,
Kwara State, where she lived, to Lagos.
That was her first job test/interview so she was understandably nervous and at some
point, she froze and was not able to continue writing the test.
After some encouragement and extra time, she relaxed and was able to complete the test.
During her interview, she mentioned it was her first time in Lagos but she did not have
a problem relocating on short notice and she could put up with her brother’s friend
pending when she got her place.
From our conversation, I felt confident in her abilities because I saw that she had the
right attitude and was willing to step out of her comfort zone to build a successful
future.
Her performance in the test and interview was satisfactory and it earned her the job,
and within 14 days, she returned to Lagos to become our first Accountant.
The early years were a struggle for her. Aside from the fact that it was her first job
experience, her living conditions then were not favorable. Her brother’s
friend lived on the outskirts of Lagos while our office was in Lekki Phase 1 so her
commute daily was tedious and stressful.
Consequently, she had to reside in the outlet’s staff quarters on weekdays and go home
on Friday nights. Sometimes, she had to endure harassment and threats from thugs.
However, she was able to persevere through hard work, grit, tenacity, self-motivation,
and a voracious appetite for continuous learning and self-development. Over time,
she secured her place and became ICAN certified. Her name is Victoria, and today, she
serves as our Head of Operations and is happily married with a beautiful daughter
and a set of twin boys.
Victoria’s journey mirrors the experiences of many at Bukka Hut. Just like her, many of
our team members come from humble beginnings,
eager to prove themselves as they step into the workforce.
Deborah’s story is a great
example.
She joined us in 2015 at the age of 24, four years after we commenced operations.
Starting as a frontline staff, she worked her way up to become a Restaurant
Supervisor, then our first Receptionist, and eventually joined the People Culture
team. When Deborah began her career with us, she only had an SSCE, but she recently
completed her Bachelor’s Degree in 2023 while continuing to grow with Bukka Hut.
Deborah was an SSCE holder when she started her career with Bukka Hut, and she
recently completed her Bachelor's Degree in 2023 while continuing to work with Bukka
Hut. Today, she is our People Culture Manager.
Another remarkable story from our pioneer team is Folashade.
After her youth service, she turned a holiday in Lagos into a career-defining
opportunity at age 26. She heard about our new lounge plans and boldly came to my
office for an interview. During our conversation, I saw her determination and the
right attitude to work and offered her the Lounge Cashier position. After the birth
of her first child, the demanding nature of lounge operations led to her transfer to
the Admin department. Following the birth of her first child and the demands of
lounge operations, she transitioned to the Admin department and later became our
first Internal Auditor when we expanded to two locations. She was one of the
pioneers of the internal audit team, established in 2013. Her journey continued as
she transitioned to a Procurement Officer role and today she serves as our
Procurement Manager. Starting with an HND in Microbiology, she's currently finishing
her Chartered Institute of Purchasing Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN)
certification and is also happily married with children.
Vincent’s journey with Bukka Hut is truly inspiring.
A two-time beneficiary of our Employee Scholarship Program, he has earned multiple
certifications in areas like Data Analytics, Business Law, Food and Health Studies,
and Leadership, all while balancing his 9-to-5 job and university studies. Currently
a 500-level Economics student at the University of Lagos, his story with Bukka Hut
started in 2017 when he joined us as frontline staff, moved up to cook, and was
later promoted to Restaurant Supervisor due to his outstanding performance. In 2023,
he joined our Management Preparatory Program and is now an Internal Audit and
Compliance Officer.
These stories and countless others beautifully illustrate what Bukka Hut stands for:
“A platform to enable satisfaction and life-changing opportunities for all our
stakeholders,” and our vision to be “A proudly Nigerian brand that transforms
lives.”
What initially started as a separate business has grown into a passionate pursuit of
empowering lives through education and economic upliftment. Bukka Hut today has
grown to 17 Restaurant outlets, 5 Lounges, 6 suya and grill spots, a central
kitchen(commissary), and a snacks brand, Bukka Hut Chops.
With the support of my team, I am committed to continuing this journey of
transformation, ensuring that every decision we make and every action we take brings
us closer to realizing this vision and fulfilling our mission.
Beyond hospitality, Bukka Hut thrives as a people-centric brand with a laser focus on
championing people empowerment initiatives.
We like to view our business sectors (Restaurants, Lounges, Suya Grills, and a
Snacks Brand) as channels used to transform the lives of our stakeholders,
both internally and externally.
To further project the image of the brand, it was
important to align our sustainability activities with the SDGs.
SDG 2 - Zero hunger
During the era of COVID-19, a good number of residents in Lagos, Nigeria found it
difficult to access food.
Bukka Hut stepped up and distributed over 1,000 packs of food within the island and
mainland areas of Lagos
state. The food drive lasted for two days.
In September 2022, Bukka Hut partnered with a Lagos-based NGO, Candlelight
Foundation to support their food
drive for the less privileged children as they celebrated World Charity Day by
providing food packs. In
March
2023, Bukka Hut partnered again with DJ Electra Charity Organization to support her
outreach lecture for
World
Purple Day with 100 packs of food as refreshments for her guests. Purple Day aims to
encourage people to
learn
more about epilepsy, recognize the signs of a seizure, and support those living with
this condition.
In May 2023 2024, Bukka Hut celebrated Children’s Day with kids from Chess in
Slums Africa. We created
lasting
memories with them by distributing meal packs and snacks to 150 children. This
initiative was executed to
give
the kids from the rural/ semi-urban areas the Bukka Hut experience and empower them
with great memories.
SDG 4- QUALITY EDUCATION
In honor of our 10th anniversary in 2021, Bukka Hut collaborated with Sponsor A
Child Through School, SACTS,
a
non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting education for underprivileged
children in Nigeria. We
contributed educational funds and 2,500 exercise notebooks to support their mission.
These educational
materials
were distributed among school children in Lagos, Abuja, and various other states
across the country.
Bukka Hut today has an Employee Scholarship Program which was started in 2020, and
we have successfully trained, sponsored, and mentored over 200 employees to further
their education, advance their careers, and go on to lead their teams.
Also, Bukka Hut launched its Management Preparatory Program in 2023, designed to
identify and nurture talent within Bukka Hut, preparing them for future leadership
roles within the organization. In its inaugural edition, twenty-four entry-level
employees underwent intensive three-month training. As a testament to their
dedication and potential, six of these individuals were immediately promoted to
higher positions.
The remaining participants are on a priority waitlist, ensuring their consideration
for future leadership vacancies.
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Bukka Hut launched the Yard Sale initiative in 2020 which now runs annually and is
targeted towards economic development and empowering Small and Medium Scale
Enterprises (SMEs) financially by providing an avenue within selected Bukka Hut
outlets for a minimum of 50 SMEs to showcase and sell their products and services
for free.
100% of the proceeds from their sales go to the participating business owners.
Over 100 beneficiaries have come back with glowing testimonies of huge sales and new
additions to their clientele base.
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Bukka Hut introduced a Waste to Wealth program to address public waste disposal and
its negative impact on
the
environment. Our mission includes carefully sorting plastic waste and collaborating
with recycling companies
to
ensure that plastics find new life. Since 2022 when it was launched and till date,
Bukka Hut has collected
and
recycled over 248, 733 plastic bottles of which the proceeds are shared amongst
staff. Bukka Hut does its
part
in protecting the environment from waste mismanagement by limiting the disposal of
plastic waste and
recycling
them for better usage.
Secondly, instead of disposing of our used cooking oil into drains, Bukka Hut sells
it for recycling into
soaps
and the proceeds are also shared with staff. Again, we are preventing environmental
damage caused by sewer
system clogs, brought on by disposing of used cooking oil into the drainages.
At Bukka Hut, our overall goal is to transform lives at every touchpoint. We pull
the resources to do all
the
above because we provide A Taste of Home through our meals and exceptional customer
experience, and for
every
meal we sell, our ability to transform more lives increases.
As we expand our business operations, Bukka Hut will create more jobs and growth
opportunities for our
employees, and embark on more community development initiatives and customer
experience initiatives.
Read More
Governance
A key part of effective governance is setting up and ensuring our Advisory Board
has a strategic mix of experience and diverse perspectives to support the scope
of the brand through their expertise.
