By Olayiwola Balogun – Aso Rock Restaurant was established in 1999, and is a truly family run business. Based in the London Borough of Hackney, the authentic Nigerian restaurant provides traditional Nigerian cuisine, drinks and snacks.
The bustling restaurant business slowed down during the coronavirus pandemic. The restaurant has now embraced technology to transform its services.
Ayo Adesina, one of the directors of Aso Rock Restaurant in a chat with African Voice said, “We have recently refurbished and also now provide a fully licensed bar.
“Before the coronavirus lockdown, Aso Rock was a hub for watching football games, while enjoying great food in a friendly social atmosphere.
Since the pandemic we have remained open throughout, however this has been for takeaway only. We have moved our workforce around to protect the most at risk members of staff, some of them have been furloughed.
In response to the impacts of Covid- 19 pandemic, the management of Aso Rock restaurant introduced a creative and innovative approach to service delivery.
“With more people staying at home and the future looking like many more people may be working from home, we have launched www.AsoRockFood.com – A London wide, Nigerian Food Delivery service in the last few weeks. We can deliver on demand to any London address. The website works out how much the delivery fee will be based on the size of your order and your delivery address.
“The more you order, the lower the delivery fee will be. So if your order is large enough for your address your delivery will be free,” Ayo said.
“The restaurant remained open during the lockdown for take away services only. Our main concern has been the safety of our customers and staff members. We have seen a rise in demand for home and work deliveries. During this period, we have really increased our online presence and use of technology to communicate with our customers. For example, you can start a WhatsApp chat with us 24 hours a day via our website. “
In order to restore consumer confidence that it is now safe to revisit the reopened Aso Rock Restaurant, Ayo said, “We have done the best we can to ensure customer safety within the restaurant and online services, in compliance with UK Government regulations. You can request contactless doorstep delivery for your internet orders, and as the UK Government starts to relax restrictions, we will be enforcing guidelines of social distancing, and increase our cleaning regime.”
In accordance with UK Government guidance, the restaurant owners have introduced markers and signs in store. Mr Adesina said, “We have reduced our dinning area in line with UK government guidelines. We encourage all our staff and customers to keep each other safe by following the rules.”
For Aso Rock Restaurant, the lockdown period provided the opportunity for some of the staff to help the vulnerable adults in the neighborhood. “We have several vulnerable customers who can’t use the internet, so we have been checking on them on a regular basis.”
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