Lagos Invester Lookbook by Sydney Beech

TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION

SECTION 3: ALL ABOUT US

Our Vision ................................................9 Letter to Potential Investors .................11 Locations ..........................................12-15

Our Founder . ..........................................47 Name . .....................................................50 Identity & Branding . ..........................52-53 Menu . .....................................................56 Atmosphere ...........................................59

SECTION 2: NIGERIAN CULTURE History . . .................................................19 People ...............................................20-21 Music .....................................................24 Art . . ........................................................25 Clothing . . ................................................29 Sports . . ..................................................30 Film ........................................................33 Food .......................................................36 Beverages .............................................37 Fun .........................................................40

INDEX .............................64-65

SECTION 1 : INTRODUCTION

OUR VISION Lagos is commited to providing our patrons with an authentic Nigerian experience that keeps them coming back for more. Our restaurant aims to embody the spirit of Nigeria by providing friendly service, helpful accomodations, and high quality meals that everyone can enjoy! 9

TO OUR POTENTIAL INVESTORS: Thank you for taking interest in Lagos, a Nigerian restaurant aiming to introduce our wonderful culture to the people of the United States. Our first location was opened five years ago and established immense popularity among the community shortly after opening our doors. This positive response from the public allowed us to open a second location three years later. Both restaurants have continued to thrive in their respective areas. We would greatly appreciate your partnership as we seek to bring Lagos to even more cities across the country. Investing in our company will allow us to continue providing excellent service to our customers for years to come. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any further questions. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to present Lagos to you. Sincerely, Shola Baba-Walker Owner/Founder

LOCATIONS Our first location opened it’s doors in Jackson, Mississippi in 2016. Our restaurant sits right in the heart of the city, and is just a few minutes away from multiple museums and parks that the whole family can enjoy! Our Jackson location contains a large patio area for refreshing outdoor dining and live music on weekends. Upon hearing that Baton Rouge, Louisiana was voted as “Best Foodie City” two years in a row, we knew that was where our second location should be! Our Baton Rouge location also features a large area for outdoor seating and is only a short drive away from Louisiana State University. 13

We are currently seeking to open a third location in the bustling city of Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta is considered to be the cultural center of the state and is home to many different museums and attractions, such as the Georgia Aquarium and the Coca Cola headquarters. It is also a great place to experience the arts, sports, and film, which are three aspects of life that Nigerians hold dear. This brings us to the conclusion that Atlanta could be a wonderful home for a Nigerian restaurant like Lagos. 14

SECTION 2 : NIGERIAN CULTURE

HISTORY Although Nigeria is considered to be a newer country, the history of the area spans thousands of years. Nok, a town located in central Nigeria was once home to a culture that existed over than 2,000 years ago. Many of the clay carvings they created have been found by archaeologists . Even before the Nok culture, there were ancient people living in Nigeria. They constructed stone tools and eventually learned to farm and keep animals. The arrival of the 1600s brought with the European slave trade, which took away the freedom of millions of African people. In the 1800s, many of Nigeria’s tribal kingdoms were defeated by the British. Britain established the colony of Nigeria, which was ruled by the country until 1960. Nigeria is now it’s own independent nation. 19

PEOPLE Nigeria is home to over 250 different ethnic groups. Many of these groups stemmed from one of the three major tribes of Nigeria: Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. The Hausa tribe is the largest in Nigeria, making up about 25% of the population. Hausaland is located in northern Nigeria, between the River Niger and Lake Chad. This tribe has kept the same traditions and way of life since before colonization. Islam is the main religion of Hausas and other than English, they mostly speak the Hausa language. The second largest tribe is the Yoruba people. This tribe makes up around 21% of the population. The Yoruba states are located in southwest and north central parts of Nigeria, but you can find speakers of the Yoruba language in other countries nearby. This people group practices both Christianity and Islam, while some still follow the beliefs of their ancestors. The Yoruba are also known for having the highest rate of twin births in the world.

The final major Nigerian tribe is the Igbo, which is the oldest group of them all. They are located in southeast Nigeria, and make up approximately 18% of the population. The Igbo had their own traditional beliefs, but after colonisation, over 90% converted to Christianity. The people of this tribe also play an important part in the Nigerian oil trade because most of the oil is found on their land. 21

MUSIC One of the most popular genres of music in Nigeria is called juju. It was created in the early 20th century by combining Christian congregational singing, Yoruba vocal and percussion traditions, and different African and Western popular genres. The music became popular worldwide in 1980s after it was adopted and promoted by the world-music industry. Popular juju artists are: King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, and Shina Peters. Another popular style of music in the country is Afro-beat. It was created by mixing West African musical styles with American jazz. It was later influenced by soul and funk as well. One of Nigeria’s best-known Afro-beat artists is Fela Kuti. His son, Femi Kuti, is also a globally popular artist, dubbed the “Bob Marley of Africa.”

ART Sculpture and pottery have a long history in Nigeria. Bronze casting is a traditional art often is used in Nigeria to create stunning lifelike statues and masks. Archeologists have also found statues and figurines made of terra cotta and brass. Pottery is practiced all throughout Nigeria, but Suleja, Abuja and Ilorin are known as important centers of traditional pottery. Many of the pieces are large vessels with detailed carvings on them. Woodcarving is another popular method for creating art in Nigeria. Wooden masks are part of the traditional faith of the Yoruba tribe. The masks are often painted and worn at funerals and other ceremonies to please the spirits. Masks can also be worn at certain Yoruba festivals. 25

CLOTHING Nigerian clothing is usually more casual due to the warm temperatures in the country, but formal and traditional styles are also worn based on the occasion. Their clothes contain a variety of colors, fabrics, and embellishments, such as beads. Different cultures of Nigeria wear styles that are unique to their tribes and customs. Nigeria is well known for its fashionable textile patterns and garments. 29

SPORTS Football is the most popular sport in Nigeria. Its national team, called the Super Eagles, reached the World Cup finals in 1994, 1998, and 2002. The team also won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. The national women’s team, the Super Falcons, has reached the Women’s World Cup finals multiple times as well. Other favorite sports in Nigeria include boxing and basketball. 30

FILM The film industry in Nigeria is known as “Nollywood.” It is the second largest movie industry globally, producing about 2,500 movies a year. One characteristic of early Nollywood is a home video production quality. Recently, the industry has been working to improve its craft. Previously known for comedies and dramas, Nollywood now produces genres like horror, period pieces, musicals, animations, and noir with industry standard picture and sound quality. Today, Nollywood is the largest employer after agriculture and makes up 5% of Nigeria’s GDP. 33

FOOD Nigerian cuisine is made up of mouth watering stews, starchy vegetables, and fragrant spices and herbs. Palm or groundnut (peanut) oil is used to add even more flavor to the dishes. Rice is consumed in every part of the country and can be prepared as coconut rice, jollof rice, or fried rice. Another common food item that can be found all across Nigeria is soup. Some of the most popular soups are okro (okra) soup, ewedu soup, and pepper soup. These soups are often eaten with swallow, starchy foods like fufu, eba, amala, and pounded yam. Nigerian dishes are full of protein. Various meats such as beef, mutton, chicken and fish are used in a large number of meals. Bushmeat, such as brush-tailed porcupine and cane rats, is also consumed in Nigeria.

BEVERAGES In Nigeria, you will find many different types of beverages, such as beer, soft drinks, scotch, brandy, champagne, and cocktails. One unique Nigerian beverage is called the chapman. It is a non-alcoholic cocktail often made with Fanta, Sprite, cucumber, lemon, grenadine and angostura bitters. A second popular Nigerian drink is palm wine. It is created from raffia palm tree and is sold fresh in suburbs or as bottled beers in pubs. 37

FUN The best way to experience to culture of Nigeria while also having a little fun is to attend a festival or carnival. These events consist of music, dances, fashion and food. One of the most famous Nigerian festivals is the Eyo Festival. The Eyo is a masquerade that only happens in Lagos Island. It is believed to represent the spirits of the ancestors. The Eyo festival is often held in honor of a chief or an elder of a ruling family who has died. They can also be held when a new chief is put in place. During the event, the Eyo masquerades perform a procession walk past procession that involves singing, dancing and acrobatics. Another colorful festival to attend is the Lagos Carnival. It is the most prominent festival in West Africa. The carnival is usually held during the Lagos Black Heritage Festival, a vibrant folk festival held every year in Lagos. The Lagos Carnival is filled with brightly colored costumes, music and dance. 40

SECTION 3 : ALL ABOUT US

OUR FOUNDER Shola Baba-Walker emigrated from Nigeria to Jackson, Mississippi with her parents and two siblings when she was just ten years old. For weeks before the big move, she and her beloved grandmother worked to compile a book of traditional recipes for Shola and her mother to bring to the United States with them. Whenever Shola and her family felt homesick for Nigeria, they cooked a recipe from the book. This began our founders love for Nigerian cuisine and her desire to share it with the people in her new home. After Shola married her high school sweetheart, he began encouraging her to take a risk and open a restaurant that would allow her to share her homeland’s cooking with the world. The first Lagos restaurant was opened in 2016, and the rest is history! 47

NAME Our restaurant is named after Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria. Lagos is a busy city with lively growing arts scene. The streets are filled with music, artists, parties, and markets. Lagos is a city that truly captures the spirit of Nigeria, thus making it a perfect name for our restaurant. 50

IDENTITY & BRANDING When creating our restaurant’s identity and brand, we wanted a simple, but clean look that captures the lively Nigerian spirit. We studied many different aspects of Nigeria’s culture in order to successfully reflect the country our restaurant is based on. The colors chosen for our brand are known as the Pan-African colors, which are usually a combination of red, black, and green, or red, gold and green. Each color represents an important part of African culture. Red represents the blood of the martyrs, black represents the color of the African people and fertile soil, while green represents the fertile fields of Africa. Gold represents wealth, peace, and harmony. The typeface used in our logo is inspired by the shapes of the wood used by Nigerians to make tribal masks and statues. The letterforms are positioned close together and at one point even overlap each other, representing the close knit families and communities that live in Nigeria. The letterforms are black, but our other three brand colors are integrated in the counters of the “A” and “O”, as well as the line resting beneath the letter “O”.

The pattern used in our branding is based on the woven textiles that have been a part of Nigerian culture for centuries. Our restaurant’s pattern is particularly inspired by Adire textiles created by the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Many designs use geometric motifs, such as dots, lines, circles, semi-circles, squares, rectangles and triangles. A large number of the Adire textile patterns also have special meaning. The pattern designed for Lagos is loosely based on a pattern that means “long life.” Our goal when designing our packaging was to create items that are fun, functional, and eco-friendly. All of our packaging features our logo and playful pattern. Our boxes and containers are easily re-sealable for saving those leftovers! Most importantly, all of our packaging is ecologically sustainable. Each product is made from 100% recycled materials that can be reused multiple times and ultimately recycled.

MENU Our menu consists completely of authentic Nigerian reciepes. From appetizers to desserts, you will get the full Nigerian experience without leaving the United States! Both restaurants only use fresh, locally purchased ingredients to not only benefit our patrons, but the community as well. Our chefs are well trained in the culinary arts and extensively studied Nigerian cuisine in order to prepare the country’s best dishes. 56

ATMOSPHERE When you walk into Lagos, we want you to feel like part of our family. Each location is full of brightly colored decor and a number of traditional Nigerian works of art. Large outside seating areas provide extra space for guests and are a perfect spot for live music. Our employees treat every costumer like a friend and are educated on Nigerian culture in order to provide guests with fun facts during their visit. Overall, we want a trip to Lagos to an entertaining cultural experience for everyone! 59

THANK YOU! Thank you for taking the time to learn about Lagos! We hope that after reading this book, you have a better understanding of the wonderful country of Nigeria and of our restaurant. We hope to hear from you very soon! 63

INDEX A

Africa 19,24,40,52 Afro-beat 24 art 25 Atlanta 14 atmosphere 59

Eyo Festival 40

identity 52-53 Igbo 21-22

B Baton Rouge 13 branding 52-53

C Chapman 37 clothing 29 colors 52 64

F film 33 food 36 football 30 fun 40

H history 19 Hausa 20

J Jackson 13 juju 24

L Lagos 9, 40, 50, 59 Lagos Carnival 40 Lagos Island 40 locations 12-15 logo 52

meat 36 menu 56 music 24

packaging 53 palm wine 37 pattern 53 people 20-21 pottery 25

textiles 53 thank you 63

Yoruba 20

N name 50 Nok 20 Nollywood 33

rice 36

our founder 47

sculpture 25 soup 36 sports 30