Written by Ray Mahlaka | From Money Web

Stelio Nathanael cuts a determined figure with his goal to outperform counterparts in the fast food industry – no matter what it takes or how aggressive his strategy is.

As CEO of the ChesaNYAMA franchise, Nathanael is preparing to launch 300 more restaurants of his grilled meat business in the next three years, from the current 200.

The name Chesanyama for the fast food business, which literally means “burn meat” in isiZulu, will see Nathanael expand existing restaurants to Zimbabwe, Botswana and Lesotho.

“Most people know what ChesaNYAMA is, be it if you come from the townships or if you are born in the suburbs. We have all as South Africans, we have all grown with braai’ing meat,” Nathanael told Moneyweb.

Behind ChesaNYAMA

Coming with a pedigree steeped in fast food, Nathanael’s brush with the industry began at the age of 16. Years later, before ChesaNYAMA, Nathanael became the founder of the Fish & Chips Company in 2009 which was acquired by Taste Holdings (JSE: TAS) for R65 million.

Throughout the interview with Moneyweb, Nathanael repeatedly notes that he has been in the fast food industry “for a long time”, which has helped him to identify a gap in the grilled meat market which was once informal. And that’s when ChesaNYAMA was born.

Finding a niche market worked in Nathanael’s favour, leading him to oversee the birth of more restaurants under the ChesaNYAMA brand including 1+1 Pizza, Pita Land and Wild Wings.

Central to the popularity of ChesaNYAMA since the first fast food restaurant was open in 2012 Nathanael says, is offering value for money to cash-strapped consumers. 

Read more at Money Web