The Story Of Haji Bustamam: Former Gambling Crazy Who Is Now The Famous Padang Restaurant Boss In Indonesia

One of the branches of a Simple Restaurant owned by Haji Bustamam, a businessman who has been a gambling enthusiast. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The struggle for Haji Bustam's life is full of twists and turns. He lives moving around. What work he does is to make a living. He once felt sweat to become a farmer, kernet, a cigarette trader, and a Padang restaurant dish washer.

The only thing he relies on is his sensitivity to observing something. Karability is also challenged to open his own business. He was desperate to go to Jakarta and start a Simple Restaurant. His business was selling well. Instead of saving profits, he was caught as a gambling enthusiast.

Life is actually full of struggle. That's what happened to little Bustam. His life is full ofnestapa. The man who was born in Lubuak was manly, September 11, 1942, felt the sadness of losing his mother. This condition made him not long live in Lubuak, Tanah Datar, West Sumatra.

His father brought Bustam to visit Riau. Bustam automatically dropped out of school at the People's School. His life in Riau was full of struggle. He helped his father as a farmer. However, Bustaman and his relatives moved to Jambi.

The move did not make Bustam live in peace. All kinds of work are trying to be done. He had become a kenek. He also had time to be a washing man at a Padang restaurant with a simple name. He didn't expect to be paid too much as a plate washer. Just get to eat, thank you.

Bustamal began to enjoy life when he became a cigarette trader. He has a fairly good trading ability. Three months selling cigarettes has been seen. He became a savings and owned his own cigarette selling stall at Rombeng Market, Jambi in the 1960s.

Problems arise. He couldn't see much money. The money was actually used for gambling in the night market. He tried all kinds of games. Saving money slowly runs out due to gambling. Bustaman to sell all kinds of his belongings for gambling, from hours to clothes.

The basic money for shopping for Padang restaurants was also touched by gambling. He also tried to escape from Jambi. He had opened a culinary business in Medan, but it didn't work. A new change emerged when Bustaman tried to change life by road to return to Jakarta in 1970.

The suggestion was given by his father-in-law. He tried to start a business as a cigarette trader again in Matraman, East Jakarta. The effort was made to make a living. However, life in Jakarta is not easy. He had moved from place to place of business.

Finally, Bustam thought of opening a rice shop. He also chose a simple name as the name of his rice shop on the street, Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta. A name he took from the Padang restaurant where he worked as a plate washer in Jambi.

"We are just desperate. In Jakarta, we initially sold cigarettes. There was a doctor practice at Matraman Street. I sold cigarettes for about two months. My wife then followed her with the child. However, in 1971 there was a riot in Matraman that forced her to move to Penjompongan. So, at that time we rented only Rp. 20,000 per year. Well, we live there, selling there. My son grew up in a kiosk. In Pejompongan, cigarette sales turned out to be unable to cover daily costs. "

"Initiation for additional search also emerged and wanted to sell sweet martabak. However, because a friend who was good at making martabak did not come, the idea of selling rice emerged. Capital was also assisted by relatives of Rp. 15,000 to sell on the street. I then went to the Downstream Dam looking for a place. So, the cart that used to sell in Matraman, I made it a table and gave it a tarpaulin. His name was simple at that time, "said Bustaman at the Kick Andy event, June 22, 2013.

Nasi Bustamal stalls are growing rapidly. Simple Rice Stall labels then rose to the classroom to become Simple Restaurants. He started opening several new branches. Problems also arise. A lot of money blinds Bustam again.

He is back in the factory settings. His Lust of gambling is back. A lot of money began to be wasted on a gambling table in the 1980s. This condition is supportive because the DKI Jakarta Government, the legacy of Governor Ali Sadikin in the 1966-1977 era, legalized all kinds of gambling.

He also no longer strokes village-style gambling like in Jambi as conki (coa). Bustaman is actually trapped by gambling with domino and billiard games. Every day his gambling activities are acted on. This activity often begins when the restaurant schedule closes.

He is also a gambling enthusiast. He has been doing this for years. However, Bustam was lucky. He did not even use the basic funds for Simple Restaurants. Later, Bustam began to realize that gambling activities had many disadvantages, rather than benefits.

Bustam imagined that if he was not trapped in gambling, the Simple Restaurant business had advanced rapidly since the 1980s even though he was able to succeed after the gambling tobat. He tried to change for the sake of his family and the growth and development of his business. As a result, gambling activities were slowly abandoned.

His courage to leave the way of life of gamblers brings blessings. Simple Restaurant businesses are growing rapidly. In fact, now the Simple Restaurant network is able to touch 100 branches. If Bustam said he was still struggling with gambling, of course he would not be able to develop even more. Most of his businessbanks are sold to other entrepreneurs. That's for gambling capital.

For several years I have been engrossed in this bad hobby. I say bad hobbies, because almost everyone who gambles is a liar. Including lying to the family. When it comes home, and happens to lose too, if you ask the wife, of course the answer is lying.

"The worst thing is to lie to yourself. In order to maintain prestige to friends, even if you lose, you still admit to winning, or admit that you only lost a little, even though there are many," said Bustaman, quoted by Hasril Chaniago in the book Haji Bustam: Founder of Simple Restaurants (2019).