Naji Zedaoui arrived with his uncles from Western Sahara to Spain in 1998, specifically to Fuerteventura; he was 13 years old at the time, and a year later they moved to Lanzarote.
Zedaoui recounts that on the archipelago he felt "well received by the Canarians" and that he completed his secondary education between the CEIP César Manrique and Blas Cabrera.
Today, at 40 years old, he owns four restaurants in Lanzarote that directly employ 50 workers, but it wasn't always like this. As soon as he finished high school, he started working to save the money that would later allow him to start his own business.
The beginnings: "Up to three jobs at once"
“I worked in many restaurants, in the kitchen, in the dining room, in nightclubs, as a lifeguard, I even had three jobs at once. I worked from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM in one job and started at another place from 7:00 PM to 1:00 AM. On my days off, I would go to work somewhere else. It was a different time, a different generation, my goal was to work and start a business.”
When asked if he had ever experienced racism or discrimination, Zedaoui explained: "There's always someone who makes a comment, but in general, I've always felt loved and I've had very, very good friends, honestly.""In every family there are arguments. I think you don't have to dwell on what they said to you, or what they didn't say; you have to be smarter than the person you're arguing with. Second, if one person doesn't want to fight, they won't. If someone makes a comment to you, the problem is theirs, not mine," shares the entrepreneur from Costa Teguise.
Distinguished Tourism Award Lanzarote
This year he received the Distinguished Tourism Award Lanzarote in the Personality category, awarded by the Cabildo through SPEL, for his “example of integration and talent for the hospitality industry in Costa Teguise”.
Regarding the award, the businessman says: "I am very grateful to the Cabildo, to the city council, because for someone to recognize your work, the effort you make every day, what it generates for the municipality, is something to be grateful for. It's like if you have a cook working in the kitchen and you give them a pat on the back and say, 'Hey, you're doing a great job.'"The distinguished adopted Teguise resident opts for "quality food and fresh, local ingredients. Everything that can be zero-kilometer, like potatoes, onions, vegetables, should be zero-kilometer. It's true that meat has to be brought from the peninsula because there isn't enough here, but at least let it be national product."For Zedaoui, the pandemic made it more evident than ever that local producers must be supported. "There were four of us left; if we hadn't supported those from here, who would have come to consume at my establishment?" he asks."We must always protect the cultivation here, on the island. It may cost a little more, but it's a quality product and quality has its price. It's like how traveling business class isn't the same as traveling economy."
More awards and the biggest prize of all
The hospitality entrepreneur does not rule out opening businesses outside Costa Teguise, but he says of the coastal town: "It's where I've lived the most, where I have the most friends, and where opportunities have arisen for me."
Asked if he aspires to have more "soletes" (he has one from the Repsol guide for his restaurant Bonbon) or other awards in his establishments, the businessman explains that he works to "give his all, but the awards don't depend on me. For me, the greatest award is for you to come, sit down with your family, eat, and leave happy."If more awards arrive, they are welcome, but if they don't, we must continue working humbly and creating good quality so that the family grows. I always tell my employees that I don't pay the bills, the one who pays them is the one sitting at the table, their boss sitting at the table.
Naji Zedaoui's Four Restaurants
Zedaoui started running his first restaurant in Costa Teguise, Mi Piace, thirteen years ago and it has become "a classic in Costa Teguise, a very family-friendly restaurant, we treat the customer so they feel at home".
His second establishment, Bonbon, the one with a sun symbol from the Repsol Guide, was opened because he noticed a lack of places on the island for "breakfasts, brunches, or late afternoon snacks, outside of typical lunch and dinner hours".
"The third restaurant was La Terraza Grill, I took it on during the pandemic, I took a leap of faith, it specializes in grilled meat and rice dishes," explains the Sahrawi entrepreneur.Zedaoui has just opened his fourth restaurant. "It was born after a trip to the peninsula, it's called MeetMeat (formerly Jordana). It's a gastroburger, specializing in gourmet burgers."