Contestants set for showdown as Street Foodz Naija returns

Following a successful debut season, FoodbayTV, a platform of Maxima Media Group, has announced the return of the docu-reality TV series, Street Foodz Naija. Organised in partnership with Devon Kings, the winner of the contest dubbed King of Street Food, will go home with a sum of N5 million worth of prizes.

The docu-reality series is about on-the-go food in Nigeria from the perspective of hope, inspiration, and empowerment with a focus on meals served on the streets of Nigeria. Featuring street foodpreneurs that will have to compete for a grand prize, 13 passionate foodpreneurs across Nigeria will be vying for this season.

While the winner in the maiden edition won N1 million, and the first runner-up got N500, 000, this year’s edition bumper prize of N5 million is to encourage the winner to achieve a better result.

“Season 2 is bigger and better than what we experienced in the first season and it’s more empowering; what the winner would be getting is quite bigger. Season one was just N1 million for the winner, but we are doing N5 million for season 2. Money is not the only thing these guys need; they need coaching, which they will get from our judges. They need their spaces to be renovated because of hygiene, they also need SME support and they would also be getting, which comprises of doing logo for their brands, shooting video for them to promote their businesses on social media and on TV. So, we have a channel on Startime, Views Channel, where we will be promoting their businesses for six weeks; they are getting more.”

On modality for picking contestants, he said, “if a contestant is good enough, which means, you are able to show us your food has taste, you are popular, and in terms of hygiene, the food is there, then we will be able to get you. The pick is based on merit and not man knows man. If an interested person is good, even if he or she is in Maiduguri, he will be selected as long as they met the criteria.
People are skeptical about street foods, but what we did in season one made people see the good in it.”

He continued: “Because it’s a docu-reality series, they will only come together when there is a need to do so. And when they come to compete, it will be done in an open-air space. There was no COVID-19 in season one, but they were spaced so, in season two, they will be properly spaced and we will observe all the NCDC guidelines,” he assured.  

Brand Manager, Devons Kings, Oluwatoyin Popoola-Dania, said, “We see this platform as a way of reaching people, empowering them. We are engaging them on the need to repackage and reposition their products to the consumers.”

She continued: “It’s not just about the cash, there is going to be a renovated work place and everything including the SMEs package, renovated workplace, the training is what is coming for the N5 million for the winner and the first and second runner-up will also be having their own packages. So, we feel all these will benefit the foodpreneurs and, beyond the cash, the visibility they also get, the brand recognition will make other brands see them and feel they can do something with them and help them grow as well.”