For the Foodie, by the Foodie

There are two kinds of people in this world – those who love to eat and those who love to eat and feed others.

Monjurul Hoque, who always has a smile on his face, fits the latter category.

By bringing the café culture in the heart of Chittagong with his Barcode restaurant group, Hoque has established himself as a trendsetter, persuading others to follow his footsteps.  

Over the last few years, Monju bhai has become a household name for every foodie in Chittagong. Be it a service related issue or a friendly demand of introducing a scrumptious meal in his café or their feedback about a particular meal, people don't hesitate to convey their message to the owner of Barcode. Hoque is very approachable, thus allowing people to feel comfortable to relay their experience at the restaurant to him. 

People who go to Barcode Café on a regular basis will find Hoque table hopping and greeting customers as if they were guests visiting his house. With his staff, he is often seen serving food or taking suggestions with a smile on his face. Be it a positive or negative comment on a Facebook food review group, Hoque seems to take every feedback very seriously, responding to each of them and trying to work on criticisms by discussing them extensively with his staff. 

While he was studying in Singapore, he along with his friends used to spend a lot of time in different cafés, either holding their class project meetings over a cup of coffee or passing an idle evening with friends. "In fact, as a student I used to have a part time job in one of the cafés. During my stay there, I often felt the absence of a place serving small and inexpensive meals in a casual atmosphere in my hometown Chittagong. I felt like having a place where one can go and dig into a yummy cuisine at any time of the day with friends or have a quick bite or relax or chat over coffee."

Even though the idea took birth while he was a student, Hoque could not launch his café right away as he had to look after his family business as soon as he returned to Chittagong. After thirteen long years, he decided to work on his dream by establishing a small café with accommodation for 40 people and a menu with four items. Because of the unique culture that Barcode promises its client base, within a short time it was able to create a buzz among food lovers. Within a year, the cafe was almost four times bigger and Hoque opened two more cafés - Burgwich Town Fusion Café and Barcode GEC. "When I started, we had four people who took care of the service, now I have employed and trained around 100 people, who previously were unemployed," says Hoque.

"What inspires me to go even further with my Barcode chain is seeing lots of other young people setting up cafés of similar nature, thereby taking this food movement one step ahead," he adds. 

In the coming days, Hoque is planning to introduce diverse cuisines in Chittagong. "We are planning to give the food experience a unique twist and have some surprises in store for Barcode lovers in Dhaka," he elaborates.

For Hoque, consistency in food quality and customer's feedback are very important. "I can make a mental estimation on who enjoyed the meal and who did not by just looking at a plate when it comes back to the kitchen," says Hoque with a laugh.

People who would like to set their feet in the food business should always keep one thing in mind, advises Hoque. You don't need to have a lot of money in your pockets to get started with your business. Patience and hard work is the key here. Also being well-informed and having a detailed knowledge about one's menu is very important, he adds.

"And do not copy. As long as you have your own distinctive style, you will find a lot of people wanting to embark on a delicious journey with you," concludes Hoque with his signature smile.