Mastercard ‘The Kitchen’ Competition Registration Portal – www.thekitchen.ng/apply

Mastercard ‘The Kitchen’ Competition Registration Portal – www.thekitchen.ng/apply. Apply for the ongoing Mastercard he Kitchen’, a competition, and stand a chance to win N2 million in seed capital to start a restaurant in Nigeria.

Mastercard has announced the launch of ‘The Kitchen’, a competition in support of the restaurant industry in Nigeria. The initiative calls on aspiring restaurateurs from across Nigeria to submit their entries for consideration in the first edition of The Kitchen.

This first-of-its-kind competition is in keeping with Mastercard’s commitment to support small and medium businesses (SMEs) in Nigeria, with a particular focus on the restaurant industry, as they build their businesses in response to the changing consumer behaviour due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout September four contestants will prove to their customers that they have what it takes to open a successful restaurant. The challenge will be to create their own pop-up restaurant over 3 nights to see who will become the next top restaurateur in Nigeria.

The winner will get N2 million!

“Mastercard has made it its mission to support SMEs in many industries across the globe through numerous Priceless Moments initiatives and campaigns. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, many SMEs were faced with several challenges leading to declines in revenue, transactions, footfall, and employment, with the hospitality and tourism sector being particularly hard-hit,” said Ifeoma Dozie, marketing and communications director, Sub-Sharan Africa, Mastercard.

If you’ve ever dreamt of opening your own restaurant, Mastercard’s The Kitchen competition is the perfect opportunity for you to turn your dreams into reality.
The Kitchen is a search for the next big restaurateur in Nigeria and aims to support and promote aspiring small business owners in the dining sector in Nigeria, as we start paving the road to recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Entry – Stage One
In order to enter the competition, applicants were required to send in a three-course menu proposal and a three-minute video along with their bio, answering some questions.

Stage Two
An adjudication panel will then selected six semi-finalists who be expected to present their cooking abilities to the judges in a cook-off which kicks off in September. If the contestant is not a chef, they will be permitted to partner with one. All semi-finalists will have to cook one of their three courses for the judges, and they will be informed in advance which course they will be expected to cook. The adjudication panel will then select four finalists out of the six participants.

Stage Three
These four finalists will get the opportunity to host a three-night pop-up throughout September, where 20 guests will enjoy a three-course meal each night. Mastercard will allocate a budget for each finalist to prepare for their own unique pop-up. This budget will allow them to buy ingredients, hire staff and create the ambience to make their pop-up a success. The guests and judges will then rate each finalist based on three key variables, namely food, ambience and service.

How to Apply

Applications are open to anyone who is serious about getting into the restaurant business. You don’t have to be a chef, but you should have a chef already that you work with. If you are a chef and have dreamed about opening your own restaurant, you can also apply. You can apply as an individual or as a two person team.

1. Experience in the hospitality industry will be helpful. Whether as a chef or having managed a restaurant, it’s important you have some experience.

2. To apply you will be required to submit a 3 course sample menu (appetiser, with a vegetarian option, a main dish and dessert) and a short video introducing yourself, so please have them ready! And remember, you or the chef you will be working with, will be expected to execute the menu you submit.

3. Five judges will pick 6 applications to go to the next round.

4. Six semi-finalists will be picked based on their menus and video submissions. The six semi-finalists will be expected to cook one of the dishes from their menu for the judges.

5. Four finalists will be chosen based on the execution of their chosen dish.

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