KUCHING: With more than 20 years of experience in the catering services, Syarifah Fauziah Wan Paie, 49, is upgrading her business into a restaurant located in Metrocity, Matang.
According to the 49-year-old, she had just started operating the restaurant about a month ago.
“I had to take the decision to stop my catering operations last year, after not receiving any bookings because of the implementation of the movement control order (MCO).
“However, I am determined to continue my food business through online orders from customers,” she said when interviewed by New Sarawak Tribune at Syarifah Restaurant.
She revealed that the foods she was selling were well received by customers which prompted her to open a restaurant as a permanent business.
“There are four main menus offered here, which are based on Arabic and Palestinian cuisines for our customers.
“This includes the pengilan set, briyani rice, maqloobah rice and a few other dishes along with sets of side dishes,” she added.
Syarifah said she chose this food concept to stand out from other restaurants and to attract customers.
“I am also currently in the process of applying for delivery services such as Grabfood and FoodPanda as I no longer accept orders online.
“This is because my restaurant has received encouraging response, especially from customers who have known my handiwork throughout my service in the catering business.
“I also have my regular customers who will visit to enjoy my food at the restaurant,” she added.
She commented that operating a restaurant was comparatively better because customers would pay immediately compared to running catering services.
“In the past, I had to wait two weeks before receiving payment from customers, but now everything is running smoothly according to the number of customers who visit.
“My restaurants’ daily income can reach up to RM4,000 especially on Saturdays and Sundays,” said Syarifah.
She added that she would also take catering bookings for large events including weddings and VIP events.
“For the upcoming Ramadan, my restaurant will come up with a new set of menus which focus on customers dining with their family members.
When asked why she chose Metrocity as a location for her restaurant, Syarifah explained that it is a very strategic place because it is famous for the variety of foods that are available there.
“I also plan to open up branches of the restaurant in other places in the future,” she said.
She also said the restaurant would diversify the food menus to include foreign dishes such as Spanish cuisines especially for visitors.
Currently, the restaurant is employing 12 workers who take orders from and serve food to customers.
“I do the cooking myself with the help of my husband. We are more comfortable preparing the food with our own hands for our customers,” she explained.
