In a recent interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Ganiyat Oyesomi-Daibu, founder of Wangdao Bistro, shared the unique inspiration behind her venture. Ganiyat observed a growing demand for both African and Asian cuisines in her community and noticed a gap in the local market. With a vision to blend the rich, spicy flavors of African dishes with the beloved tastes of Chinese cuisine, she founded Wangdao Bistro to serve her diverse city. As a female entrepreneur, receiving a grant has further motivated her to pursue her business goals, using the funds to enhance visibility and develop new products. Ganiyat’s journey highlights the importance of innovation, research, and perseverance in the competitive food industry.
I, the founder of Wangdao Bistro restaurant, Canada, is a black Nigerian female immigrant entrepreneur with over 14 years experience in the food processing industry and business development/strategies.
In Nigeria, I am the founder of GNT Spice Home, the company that produces 100% wholesome food seasonings using 100% natural spices and herbs as an alternative for people who want to ditch artificial sugar-laden seasonings and stay healthy with over 45 distributors in Nigeria, UK, and Qatar.
I am also the founder of Wingi’s Place Inc. a company that has helped over 8,000 entrepreneurs using our in-depth industry expertise with advise, strategies and revolutionary tools so they can achieve their business objectives, increase profits, add value and live a freedom and joyful life.
What inspired you to start WangDao and pursue a career as a restaurateur, offering traditional Asian cuisine to your local community?
From my experience, I noticed so many people love spicy and flavorful foods which most African cuisines are known for while some don’t, hence prefer Chinese cuisines. To this, I noticed there is only one Chinese restaurant in my City. In addition, I saw another huge gap as Africans are fast growing in the City and the demand for African foods is on the rise whereas there is no single restaurant in the City to cater for their needs. To this, I decided to marry the two continents together to serve a diverse community.
As a female business owner, what does receiving this grant mean to you, and how do you see it helping you achieve your business goals?
This grant is an indication that the challenges a female business owner faces daily in balancing and achieving greatness both at home and business space isn’t going unnoticed, and further serves as a motivation to continue my life goal pursuit.
If you could offer one piece of advice to a woman looking to open her own small business, especially in the competitive food industry, what would it be?
Never have herd mentality, instead research well to identify a problem or gap in the food industry, offer innovative disruptive solutions, network, be patient and diligent on the process as this will stand you out in the crowded and competitive marketplace.
How will the grant support from DoorDash positively impact your business, and what specific initiatives do you plan to use the funding for, such as advertisement, marketing, and product development?
The grant will be used to increase visibility both on Doordash app and social media platforms through running sponsored adverts. Currently, we are working on a food product, hence part of the money will be spent on development and branding.
Can you share the story of how DoorDash’s online delivery platform has helped you reach more customers in your community and surrounding areas, and how this has influenced your business growth?
Considering the fact that we are the only African and Chinese restaurant in our City and surrounding areas on DoorDash app, this has uniquely positioned us, increased our sales and also given our customers opportunity to access our varieties easily.
