Bajeko sekuwa

This is a part of 'project 110, going back and re-filling', writing is happening 8ish months after the date.

Decades ago, when Bajeko sekuwa was just a small sekuwa place near airport, I went with my dad on weekends. The sekwa was good, but it always is, the ambiance was smokey and the customers drunk middle aged men escaping their workdays. I was never a big fan, it was just alright.

Now Bajeko has become an international brand, opened their branches in dozens of places, marketed themselves successfully as a wedding banquet hosting destination, and is suddenly talk of the down. Maybe not anymore, but it was a couple of years ago, and I still went to weddings hosted at Bajeko, so it must be a big deal at least a little bit. But the quality remains the same. It's just alright. The outrageous prices are definitely not justified. The reorientation to a more 'family-friendly, upscale' vibe is welcome in that they're trying to legitimize this type of cuisine, but it's a money grab, a masterclass in brand advertising and management, nothing to do with the food or management of the company.

I was not a fan then, and I'm not a fan now.

Great rebranding though, 10/10 for whoever was in change of brand management for the company, 7/10 for their restaurants.