Starbites: A story of variety

Despite its limited number of outlets (14), Ghana’s Starbites restaurant chain has grown by tweaking the format to encompass opportunities domestically, and is now looking to take that across the rest of Africa and beyond. 

Why it matters

Starbites aims to attract a wide swathe of customers with its combination of local foods and the sort of international cuisine favoured by its founder – a concept that has the potential to cross borders with ease. And while he had a very particular vision of what the original restaurant design would look like, he has been quick to adapt that to meet a range of circumstances in order to grow the business. 

A variety of formats 

• Starbites: international food as affordable luxury. 

• Starbites Express: a smaller version of the original at (Shell) petrol stations, catering to customers on the move with pastries, coffee, tea and sandwiches. 
• Starbites Food-to-Go: a pop-up restaurant where chefs cook classic Starbites food in front of customers. 
• Starbites Signature: an upmarket version of the original restaurant.
• A Starbites drive-through is being planned.

The Express and Food-to-Go formats are growing fastest as these are the ones that can be most easily scaled into relevant locations such as neighbourhoods, small malls, hospitals and airports.

Challenges remain

Apart from coming into more direct competition with international brands as it grows, Starbites also faces challenges from rising food and fuel prices and a dearth of suitably qualified staff. 

Key quote

“We are gearing up to be pan-African and also to open a branch in the UK because many of the British diaspora come to Starbites when they land in Accra” – Eric Andoh, founder and CEO, Starbites.

Sourced from How We Made It In Africa