A Chicken Has Only Two Wings.

Photo credits: Sweet n Tangy Smoked Chicken Wings by Jess Pryles. 'https://jesspryles.com/recipe/sweet-n-tangy-smoked-chicken-wings/

One of the most interesting and exciting things about living in Nairobi, Kenya, is the vibrant and ever evolving restaurant scene. There is an atmosphere of innovation in matters food and food service, with inspiration for various concepts coming from all over the globe.

Easily available internet bandwidth that has enabled widespread streaming of videos, has further fuelled this innovation. Chefs, restaurant entrepreneurs, and food enthusiasts, can watch and learn from teachers thousands of miles away.

Buffalo Chicken Wings, Bandito Chicken Wings, Ragout of Chicken Wings, or Peri Peri Chicken Wings are all dishes available to increasingly food savvy Nairobians and Kenyans at large, whether they be consumers in restaurants or choose to test their individual culinary skills accompanied by video streamed instructions in the comfort of their homes.

This diversity of options is novel and exciting. The evolution and maturing of culinary palates to accommodate a multitude of flavours and ingredients is a benefit to restaurants and restaurateurs as it expands the customer base, and more customers make for happier restaurants. It contributes to the cultural, cosmopolitan vibe that is Nairobi, making dining out a more memorable experience.

This vibrancy in emerging exploration of global culinary delights by Kenyans is however under threat. Our failure to incorporate the restaurant supply chain dynamics into our menu planning and by extension product creation is the cause of this threat.

 Let me explain, using chicken wings as an example.

Chicken wings in varying variants and cooking styles have fast become one of the most popular dishes in many restaurants in the country. So much so that we have seen the emergence of a few chicken-wing exclusive brands in the market. The popularity of the wing is unparalleled and growing.

However, a chicken only has only two wings. The popularity of the wing is wreaking havoc on the local chicken supply. Chicken processors are now insisting that customers who want purchase chicken wings, must also take other cuts of the bird prevent wastage.

In the USA, chicken wings became popular initially as bar bites and starters because they were the cheapest cut available. They were cheap because the massive chicken processing industry demanded first the chicken breast followed by the chicken thigh and chicken drumstick which were what the consumers wanted on their supermarket shelves.

Restaurant and bar owners understanding this supply chain driven opportunity, developed exciting menu items from the cheapest cut of the chicken available to them, the chicken wing. By doing this they created a menu star, a high volume, high margin item on their menus. Much to the appreciation of their cash registers and their P&L statements.

In Kenya, chicken wings are nowhere near cheap. Processing and sale of chicken in various cuts is still in its nascent stages in the Kenyan market. Whole chicken is still by far the most popular way chicken is purchased for home consumption. This reality makes chicken wings as an independent supply chain item a luxury item and hence sold at a premium.

I have singled out chicken wings, but this is a challenge that exists across our restaurant supply chain with a variety of items.

As we develop our fast-rising local restaurant industry, better menu planning and engineering that takes into consideration local supply chain nuances and trends, should help us build a more sustainable industry. We need to be more confident in our abilities and knowledge of our consumption patterns to create menu products that better suit our supply chain. International inspiration is welcome and even encouraged, it should however be balanced with local context.

This will help us to continue to nurture, develop and grow our restaurant industry and do so in a sustainable way. Blind imitation without corresponding local context will lead us to become a more import dominated industry, losing the opportunity to build a strong back-end industry as the front-end grows.  

Doing so is a necessity, as a chicken has but only two wings.