TAHIR CARL KARMALI, 25, is the general manager, EatOut Kenya. He shared his experience with TRICIA WANJALA
What does your company do?
EatOut Kenya is an online service platform. We are a service and everything we do is for the benefit of the consumers and the restaurants.
How did you get into the hospitality industry?
I took an interest in food when I was quite young. I first worked at Prime Cuts in Village Market, Nairobi when I was about 13. The owner was a friend of my family, so I did an internship.
I enjoyed the creative aspect and that is one of the reasons I went for a career in the hospitality industry. It is really good because you see fast outcomes of your creative ideas.
What kind of training did you receive for your career?
I did my degree in International Hospitality Marketing. The first three years involved a lot of practical application of hospitality management. I did that at Le Roche International School of Hotel Management in Switzerland. I attended International School of Kenya for my high school.
What were some of your memorable experiences during your studies?
Asia is one of my favourite places — the Far East Asia. Much as I love Europe, I have a little love affair with Asia, so I chose to spend a year in Singapore in between my degree. I worked at the Four Seasons Hotel, which was by far my most favourite company to work for. It is a very pleasant working environment — like family. In my role at EatOut Kenya, I really try to foster that kind of work environment — for people to be pleasant to each other and make more human interactions.
Have you worked anywhere else?
During my studies I worked at a restaurant in Geneva called La Reserve. That is where I learned how to work hard. It was a high-pressure environment working as a commis chef in the guarde manger chopping up vegetables. My schedule consisted of intense work shifts that lasted 12-16 hours. It was fun.
After I graduated, I came to Kenya for six months to help my father with his business. I then got a job offer to work at Sankara Hotel as part of the opening crew. Thereafter, I met Mikul of EatOut Kenya and he offered me the opportunity to help develop and grow the business. I became the general manager one year ago.
What have you accomplished so far in your role?
I hate micro managing. I feel it is a complete waste of time and it depletes staff morale. I created a working culture where people understand each other. We wanted to create an environment where people are unafraid to suggest ideas. We assign each employee to work on a project, no matter how small or big. People feel more motivated to come to work when they have this autonomy. People don’t work for you but they work with you since we are all human with the same needs. My MD, Mikul and I have done a lot together with the EatOut team to grow the company in an incredibly short time period. We recently received the Kenya Tourism award for best Blog and Web site. We have also entered into a partnership with a Danish investor so we have some great things planned for the near future.
What qualities do you believe have enabled you to be successful?
I am friendly, creative, imaginative and punctual. I also like to be in a position where I am constantly creating things — to me that is my purpose in life.
My greatest advice would be to always be open to new ideas, and not to confine yourself to a certain idea. That is what helped me join an Internet company and in a short time, we have grown tremendously.
Your other hobbies and interests…
I speak English, French, a bit of Spanish and I am currently learning Chinese. I love Fine Art – I still paint quite a bit, and I really enjoy swimming and photography.
