saints-n-sinners-the-best-of-both-worlds

Harare is known as a city that never sleeps and it is famed for its nightlife; where people can unwind away from other pressures of life. And one such happy place, right in the heart of the central business district, is Saints ‘n Sinners, where patrons are guaranteed some time to relax, play and enjoy. Though barely 2 years old, this joint has been the talk of the city, famed for it’s unique products and services, which continue to draw people from far and wide. To know more about this joint; Munyaradzi Blessing Doma (Munya) had a chat with the boss behind Saints ‘n Sinners, Nomathemba Primrose Ndebele (Noma)

Read on…

Munya: Why did you name the club Saints ‘n Sinners, what inspired that name?

Noma: Our vision from the onset was to create a best of both worlds place where our patrons can relax, play and enjoy in a happy place that cuts across all socio-political and other personal believes. It’s a place you can be yourself hence the analogy of the “Saint and the sinner”. Everyone is welcome.

Munya: When did you open your doors and how has been the journey?

Noma: We opened our doors on December 13 2022, and the journey has been nothing but a rollercoaster ride of all the beautiful highs and like any other start up, the disheartening lows but above all, it has been a phenomenal story for us so far and everyday we keep writing new chapters to the book.

Munya: How do you outwit the competition that’s out there, what makes your club unique?

Noma: We are not a Night Club, we are a PUB, LOUNGE and RESTAURANT, but answering you, from the onset we have wanted to be true and original to ourselves without the need to copy what everyone else is doing . We have agreed not to be swayed by the trends but to give our patrons memorable moments that are filled with our team’s genuine passion. What stands out the most I would say is the amazing team of young people I work with, they have become family to our patrons and just the positive and warm energy they exude to the space makes our patrons feel right at home everyday we open our doors.

Munya: Some businesses in the entertainment industry have been struggling to make it especially post Covid era, how have you managed to stay afloat?

Noma: We are fortunate to have opened our doors past Covid, which made us plan with the ravaging effects of Covid and be able to create a blue print that can survive or compete post Covid. Covid destroyed a lot of businesses especially in our sector, many people lost their jobs or businesses thereby impacting the bottom line of businesses in the leisure sector. We have had to structure our businesses in such a way that it is sustainable and grows itself without the pressure of wanting to start on a large scale.

Munya: You made your name in the fashion industry where you established women’s high end boutique, Posh, what made you to say I want to establish a restaurant and lounge?

Noma: I have always been fascinated by lifestyle business and spreading my wings into the restaurant and lounge space had always been one of my ambitions. I love interacting with people and above all making them feel good about themselves. I do that at Posh and spreading my wings into the restaurant business has made me reach out to a wider audience.

Munya: This is a male dominated industry, does this not intimidate you in any way or have you not been discouraged?

Noma: I think the notion of the business being male dominated has also come and gone, I know of a lot of female entrepreneurs doing wonderful things in the same sector I am in. More importantly when you have a product offering that you are sure about, no amount of discouragement can ever get to you. I have always been confident in my offering from the day we opened our doors.

Munya: Do you have you have any signature drink or meal or service in the club, something that’s exclusively to you guys?

Noma: Saints and Sinners is popular for our signature cocktails, our cocktails are an absolute experience and we have some of the most experienced barmen who continue to formulate various cocktails that suit any client taste and needs, we definitely stand out on that end. There is a cocktail named after me by one of our barmen. He thinks of me as an intriguing Saint hence he named it SaintPosh. It consists of two of my all time favorite cognacs.

Munya: Do you intend to expand the business to other cities, if so when and where can we expect this?

Noma: We are definitely carefully looking at our expansion strategy and with the success of Joina City branch, many customers from other cities who visit have been asking when we would be coming to their towns. I can assure you it’s something we are working on that also takes a great deal of careful strategic planning.

Munya: What are the products and services that you offer?

Noma: We are a pub, restaurant and lounge. During the day we offer breakfast and lunch in a serene environment where one can have a meeting, a date or any other gathering and after hours, we are a lounge that feeds into the night life ecosystem of Harare. We have an array of DJs, offer VIP bottle service whilst also serving as premium pub with multiple television screens for our patrons to enjoy the best of games in the comfort of our lounges.

Munya: I understand you have a soccer team, tell me more about this?

Noma: The soccer team is a social responsibility initiative that was introduced to me by two of my patrons, the other one is now my legal advisor for both businesses and personal issues and the other one is my marketing advisor. So they came up with the idea and we embraced it and most of our patrons and employees welcomed the idea to exercise and interact in their various expertise during the weekend away from the bar. It has become an exciting social feature that has built a family unit outside of our bar and we look forward to meeting with our patrons every Sunday for our social games.

Munya: There has been some concerns at some bars on security for its patrons, how have you managed to deal with this?

Noma: We strive to give the best of security to our patrons and our place comes with well trained security personnel, 33 cameras that are monitored during our trading hours and we are also grateful to have security back up from our landlord who is Joina City. 20 security officers thereby providing a safe environment for our revellers.

Munya: Thank you Noma, anything else you can add?

Noma: Thank you so much for the interview and I think I have answered all there is to answer. But on a lighter note, I am a sinner hoping to be saved. I do look forward to hosting you at Saints and Sinners. Bring all your friends.