A West African restaurant is the first to open up at the Dandenong Hub Arcade food court in a decade.
The restaurant has established their second branch at the hub with warm lighting, buzzing music and eye-catching photo display of the African culture- the first thing people see in the only restaurant at the hub, in attempts to revive the food court.
Despite knowing the arcade’s own challenges and issues with rough sleepers, Casey resident husband and wife Kola and Funmi Ewedairo took the risk.
“Given the place has been locked for some time, a lot of homeless people have been coming in and sleeping, that’s a rough life,” Mr Ewedairo says.
“Bringing back light in the hub would take away the darkness in the premises.”
Driven by their belief, hard work and encouraged by loyal customers from Dandenong and the south east, the business opened up on 6 December last year.
This is the second branch of Adonai Foods, the first being in Carlton where they received delivery orders from customers based in Greater Dandenong and the wider south east community.
Ms Ewedairo says delivering to Dandenong was “too stressful.”
“I didn’t know we’d open a branch in Dandenong but last year we realised this.
“We took the risk and as a child of God we prayed.”
The restaurants serves delicious African cuisine and social media trendy Fufu pounded yam with beans with beef stew, jollof rice, Egusi, soup, Asun a whole variety also Halal to cater for all.
The homelessness infesting the hub wasn’t a major concern for them as they interact with rough sleepers daily at their Carlton branch, they cause no harm or have any threatening behaviour.
Some mornings they find rough sleepers sleeping by the door of the restaurant in Carlton, who move on after few minutes of being asked to move on.
“Eventually I became their friend and sister,” Ms Ewedairo says.
“They say, I’m looking after your shop nothing will happen to you.
“When i saw this place i thought, it’s the same thing in Carlton.
“I’m used to them because i believe nobody is homeless it’s the situation that got them there.
”I don’t want to know what got them there but I do whatever I can do for them.”
Rough sleepers come inside the restaurant with whatever they have, sometimes as little as $3 or nothing, but they are always fed by the compassionate couple.
Carmen Jenner, previously a shop owner of 35 years at the hub says the food court had been inactive for at least a decade.
She doesn’t remember the food court ever being at full capacity, with only an Indian restaurant and a café before they too walked out.
“I think if they work it properly they can make it a goldmine.
“They looked good, it’s got good energy about it.
“I was very happy when they opened for the people in the hub and for them to start a new venture, hopefully it’ll inspire other people to do the same.”
Although she no longer operates at the hub she’s excited about the idea of the food court thriving again.
Strategic business analyst, Francis Olorunyomi, had also advised the couple to seize the opportunity based on it being a central major city centre with a belief that “it can always get back to being that.”
This comes after Vincent Golf, commercial sales manager at First National Real Estate Hall & Partners, focused to take charge and revive the area as reported previously by Star Journal in July last year.
“It’s been vacant for so many years it’s good to see a shop operating. It’s a blast from the past and I think it’s got every opportunity to become better.
“If Bubble tea opens up, you’d have the younger generation to go there, it needs-old meets new-if you had those plug-in devices for youngsters to charge their devices and use Wi-Fi.”
He is currently in talks with other potential buyers for the remaining few shops.
