Food
Buka Economics: The Best Restaurant in Lagos Has No Sign
Words by Funke Alabi5 min read
The best buka in Surulere has no name, no sign, and no menu. It has Iya Kudi, a queue of bankers next to bricklayers, and a pot of amala that runs out by 2 PM sharp. If you know, you know. If you do not, follow the parked cars.
A buka does not advertise. The pepper speaks for itself.
Buka economics are simple and ruthless: cook one thing perfectly, price it for everybody, never expand. The moment a buka gets a signboard and a POS machine, the elders start to worry.
In a city obsessed with status, the buka is the last democratic institution. The director and the dispatch rider eat the same ewedu, elbow to elbow, and nobody checks anybody. That might be the most Lagos thing of all.
