Today we’d like to introduce you to Jared, Nikki, and Sandile. Them and their team share their story with us below:
In 2010, an American soccer fan traveled to South Africa with his friends for the World Cup. Jared was blown away by the big African sky, animal life, and, most of all, the people of this land. Everywhere he went, he was met with bright, warm, welcoming, vibrant faces.
He immediately fell in love with the African philosophy of “Ubuntu” (oo-Boon-too), which loosely translates to “I am because of you.” A concept that we all need each other. That any stranger entering a village will be welcomed immediately with a warm meal and a place to sleep. What a refreshingly beautiful concept!
During the trip, he embarked on an African safari in to experience some of the world’s most magnificent landscapes and exotic creatures. While camping under the stars, he was introduced to African cuisine by generous Zulu women who had prepared a special feast for his party. The centerpiece of this meal was a spicy, fire-grilled chicken that was so moist it nearly melted off the bone. Returning home, he was obsessed with this experience and inspired to bring the savory Piri Piri flavors and spirit of Ubuntu to the United States.
He shared the idea with one of his best friends, Nikki, whose career had been spent working with non-profits, primarily in Africa, and who shared his deep love and passion for the land and its people. Nikki and Jared worked together as international lawyers in a large Salt Lake City law firm for 6 years, then they both worked for a large purpose-driven multinational corporation. Together with another friend and South African businessman, Sandile, the three co-founders found an amazing chef and restaurant operator, Rob, from New Orleans, and brought this concept to life in 2018!
Desiring this effort to be centered on social impact and provide a simple way for everyday people to give back by doing something they do every single day—eat a meal—the co-founders created the Meal for a Meal program which donates a portion of the proceeds from every meal sold at Zulu Grille, to a vulnerable child in South Africa.
After interviewing dozens of organizations, we selected Home of Hope for Girls in Johannesburg, South Africa, as the beneficiary of our Meal for a Meal program. We chose to partner with Home of Hope because of the outstanding leadership of the organization and its focus on building confidence, hope, self-reliance, and a bright future for each of the girls at Home of Hope.
In the 20 years since Mam Khanyi started Home of Hope, she has rescued more than 11,000 young girls! She mothers each one of these girls and lives in the home with them. Each girl attends school; participates in extracurricular activities; learns business skills by helping with the small businesses Home of Hope has started as part of its emphasis on self-reliance; and helps the younger girls with homework, chores, and daily activities. The home truly operates as a HOME, filled with love, support, encouragement, and the teaching of sound principles.
Our goal is to have hundreds of Zulu Grille’s all across the country because the more locations we have, the more good we can do! We recently expanded our Zulu footprint by opening our second location in South Jordan. We are very excited about this location, in the heart of South Jordan on Redwood Road. This location has a drive-thru, offering a convenient and quick option for families looking for a quick, delicious, and healthy dinner and anyone who would rather not hop out of their car!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It wouldn’t be nearly as rewarding if it were easy! We have met many struggles along the way. COVID posed numerous challenges for us and required us to pivot significantly. We moved from primarily serving dine-in meals to partnering with third-party delivery services to deliver orders, offering curbside pickup; clearing the dining area and offering packages of essential commodities that were in shortage at grocery stores, and offering to drop-off catering services for employees working at essential businesses. We survived COVID and came out stronger than ever in the aftermath.
Staffing and the enormous rise in the cost of food have also posed unexpected challenges to us. With our recent expansion opening of an additional location in South Jordan, like most other businesses, we have had a very difficult time hiring new staff. Our labor costs have increased significantly as we have had to compete with national chains and businesses in order to attract talent.
As a result, we have had to get very creative in cutting other costs so that we don’t have to pass on the additional labor costs along to our customers. The steep rise in food costs has likewise hit restaurants particularly hard. We are very conscientious about minimizing food waste and quality control so that we minimize mistakes and inaccurate orders.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Zulu Piri Piri Chicken Grille (Zulu Grille)?
Zulu Grille is a unique African-fusion fast-casual restaurant dedicated to improving the world one meal at a time. We call ourselves a social impact restaurant because we created Zulu to be a business designed to do good in the world. It is our philosophy that businesses have the responsibility and opportunity to have a positive impact on the world; that businesses can and should do good and still be successful. We wanted to create a business where people could do good by doing something they do every single day—eat a meal.
For every meal purchased at Zulu, a portion of the proceeds are donated to our partner organization in South Africa, Home of Hope for Girls, which rescues young girls from human trafficking. Since we began in 2018, we have donated over 200,000 meals!
When speaking with the Executive Director of Home of Hope last month just after receiving our donation, she said, “the girls start school tomorrow and I was very nervous about what they would have for their school lunches and after I got the Zulu donation, I was so happy knowing the girls would go to bed with a full stomach and go to school with a full lunchbox.” That is the reason we began Zulu!
Zulu Grille aims to spread the Ubuntu spirit. Loosely translated, “Ubuntu” means “I am because of you. You are because of me.” It encapsulates the idea that we all need each other, that we as communities are interconnected and function best and are most fulfilled when we’re united and coming together for a common good. We want all to feel welcome, necessary, and part of something awesome when they step foot inside a Zulu Grille.
Zulu Grille serves African-fusion cuisine with African flavors and spices featuring the native African Birds Eye Chili Pepper, or the “Piri Piri” pepper in our signature dishes. Zulu’s flavor master Chef Rob tried over 100 different variations of recipes before coming up with Zulu’s proprietary Piri Piri sauce. Chicken entrees are prepared according to personal taste with the restaurant’s own spice index – ranging from savory lemon-garlic to Africa-Hot – and include the famous Piri Piri flame-grilled chicken (with African yellow rice and Piri Piri sauce).
Zulu Originals include flavorful chicken sandwiches, both sweet and spicy chicken salads, Piri Piri Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo, and the fresh, best-selling Chicken Bowl with grilled Piri Piri chicken, grilled corn, arugula, avocado, cucumber, and Piri Piri aioli – all served over African yellow rice.
These masterful dishes are complemented by a number of sides such as tri-colored potatoes (fries), Piri Piri sweet potato wedges, African street corn, and side salads like the East African Cucumber Mango salad. Zulu Piri Piri Chicken Grille has even prepared several family packs for large parties, a special kids’ menu, and a variety of sweets and beverages to satisfy the appetites of every guest.
What were you like growing up?
Jared grew up in Bolivia and was passionate about nature, and jungle wildlife specifically. He had pet monkeys, parrots, and other animals. He was always curious about people, food, nature, and places. He was driven and hard-working from the time he was a boy. He started several small businesses at a young age and even sold his concept of portable urban chicken coups!
Nikki grew up in a large family and started playing sports as a child. She loved a challenge and was driven and independent from a young age. She found creative ways to make money as a child, from collecting aluminum cans from her neighbors on trash day to paper routes to having local businesses sponsor her and pay her way to participate in the AAU Junior Olympic Games in high school. She received a scholarship to play field hockey for Yale University and during her second summer of college, she spent in South Africa, working to secure legal rights for micro-entrepreneurs. She has always loved connecting with people and cultures from around the world. The greatest lesson her parents taught her, and what they consistently reminded her when met with a challenge was, “You can do hard things.”
Sandile was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. His parents were actively involved in the struggle against apartheid and their example had a profound influence on his childhood and life. He loved exploring and learning as a child, and anytime he was around an adult, he would bombard them with questions. His dependability and trustworthiness as a boy landed him in leadership positions at school.
While he struggled with low self-esteem, he always had a deep drive and determination for excellence. He was always in the top 5 academic achievers in his class and represented his school in athletics, music, and debate. He always dreamed of doing great things.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.zulugrille.com
- Instagram: @zulugrille
- Facebook: @zulugrille
- Twitter: @zulugrille
- Yelp: @zulugrille
Image Credits
Stelios Xanthos, Jonny Turner, and Trieste Prusso
