Shisanyama, a beloved South African tradition of grilling meat outdoors, is more than just a meal. It is a social event. With so many Shisanyama spots popping up in South Africa, making your shisanyama stand out can be a challenge. But in this article, you will find simple and creative ideas to help your Shisanyama business stand out from the competition.
Host Themed Braai-Nights
To make your shisanyama top of the class and unique, you can add excitement by having themed braai-nights. Introduce world flavors by incorporating your meals with a global offering like Asian-inspired braai. And celebrate the seasons with special events like “Summer Shisanyanama” with cocktails or a ‘Winter Braai’ and more.
Interactive Braai Stations
Turn your shisanyama into an interactive experience by creating DIY braai bars, where you set stations where guests can pick their meat, choose marinades, and grill it themselves with the help of your chefs. This creates a fun, personal experience.
Offer Premium and Unique Meats
Set yourself apart from other shisanyama’s by offering high-quality and exotic meals. Offer them tasty and fresh meat that they can enjoy. Have artistic utensils and aprons branded with your logo that they will use for their braai and this will create an affectionate experience for your customers.
Create Signature Sauces and Marinades
Create your special sauces and marinades to give your shisanyama that unique flavour. Use local herbs and spices to create distinctive marinades. Think about a “Cape Malay Marinade” or a “Peri Peri Sauce” for a spicy kick. Also, offer your special sauces in bottles that customers can buy to enjoy at home. This will help spread the word about your shisanyama.
Go Eco-Friendly Green
Show to customers that you care about the environment. Work with local farmers who use sustainable methods to source your meat. And reduce waste by composting your waste. This can be a big selling point for eco-conscious customers. Recyclable containers or utensils also show you care about the environment.
Unique Venue Ideas
Enhance your shisanyama by having a memorable atmosphere spot. Set up an outdoor arena with comfortable seating, lighting, and live music to create a relaxed vibe that will make potential customers want to come to your place. Always decorate your venue with different themes or cultural styles. Whether it is on Heritage Day where you accommodate all cultures with your decor, this can create a sense of belonging to your customers.
Have Great Local Drinks
Collaborate with the local breweries and wineries to offer drinks that will complement your meat. Have drinks such as Tolokazi Sorghum Pilsner and Aslina Wines which are proudly South African manufactured. On the other hand, create special cocktails using local ingredients. This will make your shisanyama inclusive and show that you support local products.
Mix Culinary Traditions
Combine your shisanyama with other traditional cuisines to offer something new. Think about boerewors, which is a local sausage made up of spiced coarsely minced beef and pork, maize meal and chakalaka, a spicy tomato, carrot, and bean relish. You can also use different cuisines from different cultures to accommodate everyone.
Invite Local Artist
To make your shisanyama more vibey, you can look at inviting the local artist to perform at your venue. Try having different genres to accommodate your customers. And make the artists feel part of your facility. This will make you attract more customers when one artist posts their gig on social media. Potential customers will be running to your venue.
Leverage Taking Pictures
People often like pictures of events they attend; it creates memories for them. Have a photo booth that is branded with your logo and use this as part of your marketing strategy. For instance, if more people can post on their social media, other potential customers will know about your shisanyama and will want to come and try out your services.
To make your shisanyama business stand out from others in South Africa. You need to be creative and unique while offering something different that customers aren’t used to. By implementing ideas such as hosting themed braai nights, setting up interactive stations, and offering unique meats. These ideas can help your shisanyama business attract more customers and become a favorite spot in your community.
