By: I Made Milagro Azra Sentana
Meet Zafar Saeed, or how he is commonly known among students; the person on Mini Share who hands out free meals for struggling students. However, behind those Facebook posts lies an individual who dedicates his life to helping people - especially students who are in need.
Born and raised in Pakistan, he enrolled in APU in the late 2000s. Being one of the first international students in a newly-built university, he is amazed at the growth and progress APU has made throughout the years.
“When I was still a student, there were roughly 400 international students”
Coming from Pakistan as a shy teenager, he attributes his studies in APU for improving his communication skills that are necessary to conduct business.
“I was a shy boy, but through seminars, presentations, and many communities coming together - I learned to become a better speaker.”
After graduation, he worked in a company in Oita for 5 years before establishing the Islamic Trading Company or ITC, which is his very own car rental business located in Kamegawa. The business model is particularly interesting as they only charge ¥3,000 for a 4-seater for 24 hours. This price is extremely cheap when compared to similar businesses that charge ¥5,000 for 6 hours.
The start of a new legacy
The Pakistan Curry is a brand new restaurant Zafar and his brothers own and manage located in 船小路町 (Funakojimachi).
The restaurant itself has attracted many students and local Beppu citizens in trying Pakistani cuisine. When he first came to Japan, he noticed how there is a problem that Muslims have to go through even until now - which is finding restaurants that serve halal food. Zafar created this restaurant with the intention to solve that problem.
When coming inside the restaurant, customers will be greeted with decorations that pay homage to Pakistani culture. The restaurant itself is relatively small, yet it accommodates a fair amount of customers and has a cozy feel to it. Looking at the menu, the price sticks out as it offers extremely cheap but delicious set meals. For instance, the Chicken Kopta Curry set which consists of chicken meat, egg with broth and two large naan pieces of bread is only ¥800, while students are charged ¥500 including tax. This business model is Zafar’s idea in helping students who are currently facing financial problems, especially during the pandemic.
“When I heard students were starving because of no jobs and no food, I wanted to create a restaurant where I can feed students cheap but delicious food.” He claims this to be his main reason behind this venture.
Furthermore, his kindness does not end there, as he regularly posts on Mini Share that students (and even non-students) can have free meals if they have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. During the holy holiday of Eid al-Adha, the restaurant distributed free bento for everyone.
“Students who want free food, I welcome them and they do not have to be shy. They can come here every day until they find a stable income again.”
However, this business model is not the greatest when it comes to generating profit as Zafar mentions that his restaurant had been experiencing a net loss after its establishment. To equalize this, he mostly relies on ITC to compensate for the losses and to ensure the restaurant does not go out of business.
“I’m not doing this to receive gratitude or anything in return, our purpose in this business is to help,” Zafar concludes when talking about the discounts for students.
Not everything is sunshine and roses
Initially, Zafar had already planned on opening his restaurant in another location a year ago but was rejected due to him being a foreigner, despite having already obtained his Japanese citizenship and having the financial means. He mentions how he was also rejected by the former landowner of his current location, but was given the affirmation months later due to there not being any other potential buyers. This alone demonstrates how discrimination is still prevalent in Japan.
“I applied for another place but they told me “gaijin dame” - I have a Japanese passport. I can pay them in cash. Sadly, discrimination is there, always.”
On a lighter note, he notices how Japanese customers do not care if the business is owned by a foreigner or not.
“Many Japanese customers come here and also to my car rental shop. Many of whom become frequent customers. They do not care, as long as the service is nice.”
Much appreciation to Mr. Zafar Saeed for agreeing to be interviewed and for all the positive actions he has brought into Beppu.
Comments