Event

Afro’s, the story of how a simple business which was born in a trailer that was hitched around to events in Durban, turned into a thriving food chain with outlets in KZN and the Western Cape.

About the Guest Speaker

The 45-year-old entrepreneur is the founder and part owner of Afro’s Chicken Shop, a unique Durban brand that was hatched in the city in 2012.

His dad was a shower salesman who got into construction and his mom was a secretary for a confectionery firm before setting up her own hospitality business.

When he left school he was a waiter at Marco Nico’s La Buca Di Bacco restaurant and he flourished.

“I fell in love with the industry.”

Emil then got involved in Sandonatos and Scoozi’s in Morningside where he dabbled in the kitchen but flourished operating the businesses.

Emil and his then wife moved to the UK and he worked in London restaurants for 11 of the 15 years he was in the UK. The last four years were spent in Scotland with an oil and gas company where Emil project managed teams in the US, Singapore and the Middle East.

“The experience was brilliant, but I yearned to get back to South Africa and the restaurant business.

Returning to Durban in 2010 he set up Stretta at The Heritage Market in Hillcrest.

 “I had brilliant kitchen staff, two of whom are still with me at Afros. We had a fantastic front of house guy, so I could travel back and forth, and the restaurant ran well.”

Emil confesses to be a bit ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and is naturally restless.

“I think it’s human nature. We want for more. We need to be challenged. I was at Stretta and I came up with this fantastic chicken recipe. It was really the birth of Afro’s.”

“We were in Naples and after a few beers we stumbled past this place and there was a queue to get in and I had to eat there to find out why people were falling all over themselves for it. It was a revelation because the menu was 2 pizzas, a local beer, water and Coke.”

With Emil’s magic chicken recipe and some brainstorming, he and his friend Kevin created the distinctive Afro’s brand.

Afros is rolling out stores around the country and serves upwards of 50 000 meals a month.

Schedule of events

6.00pm - 6.30pm: Arrival & Registration

6.30pm - 6.40pm: Welcome by Durban City Circle Leader Jonathan Acutt

6.40pm - 7.20pm: Guest Speaker: Emil Venter, owner of "Afro’s Chicken Shop"

7.20pm - 7.40pm: Q&A with the Guest Speaker

7.40pm onwards - networking with your new-found friends :)

Event Details

Take the M13 towards Gillitts. Take the turn off to Old Main Road Gillitts. Turn into Clifton Road, and Gillitts Shopping Centre will be on your left.

The Corner Office, The Gillitts Shopping Centre, 1 Clifton Road, Gillitts.

About the Location

The Corner Office - Your Local co-working space

The Corner Office is a dynamic and flexible co-working space designed for you to run your growing or established business, with all the perks of being in a larger office.

Have a business?

We would love you to partner with us at our next event. For more info, please chat to one of our event hosts.

What Is It?

This gathering will be taking place every month from April throughout 2018, and for every event we will be inviting different guest speakers to share their success stories and biggest lessons on the road to building their businesses.

Durban Entrepreneur Social is part of the Entrepreneurs Institute community dedicated to educating and connecting people interested in entrepreneurship and social impact. Entrepreneur Social events are planned and coordinated independently, under a free licence from Entrepreneurs Institute.

Entrepreneurs Institute is a leading entrepreneur education group founded by Social Entrepreneur & Futurist, Roger James Hamilton. Roger is the creator of Wealth Dynamics (for individuals) and Talent Dynamics (for teams), the world’s number one business development pathway for accelerating trust and flow in an organisation and entrepreneurial business, used by over 250,000 people around the world. Genius U is an entrepreneur education platform, enabling you to find other entrepreneurs that align to your purpose, share your passions and complement your talents.

For more info go to www.geniusu.com

Who's It For?

The event is open to anyone who is interested in entrepreneurship and social impact and would like to network in a relaxed social environment with other professionals and business owners, to share success stories, support one another and discuss strategies.

Follow us on Facebook for further events: https://www.facebook.com/dbnentrepreneursocial/