^{A bustling atmosphere at Bosskid Restaurant in Tepus, Gunung Kidul, Central Java}

As midday approaches, Resto Bosskid’s kitchen is bustling. A waiter carries a tray of grilled red snapper through the kitchen door. From another corner, the hiss of a wok and thin smoke rise from the stove, while outside on the terrace, guests jostle for the best seats overlooking the sea.

That day, three busloads of students from SMP Negeri 2 Magetan stopped in for lunch after playing on the beach. Winarti, better known as Win, paused for a moment near the kitchen, keeping an eye on everything. Every now and then she adjusted a plate before heading back. She had been doing the same thing for years. Few guests realize that the restaurant they are visiting is built on a story far longer than the menu in their hands.

It Began with a Restlessness

Almost twenty years ago, before there was any restaurant on that rocky limestone hill, there was only the restlessness of a man named Juni Sunarto. He watched as more and more young people in his village, Tepus in Gunungkidul, dropped out of school. Some took odd jobs in the city, some married young, and others simply drifted through their days with few choices.

^{The Beginning of PKWM Bosskid}

“If things go on like this, what will become of this village?” he thought, anxious and troubled.

It was that restlessness that brought him together with the young people of Ngasem Hamlet, Tepus, Gunungkidul. Together with Win, who would later become his wife, and a few friends, he opened a simple learning space at his parents’ house. They named it Bosskid – Bocah Sisi Kidul, “the kids from the southern side”. There was a dance studio, learning support, and skills training in batik and sewing. Since 2008, Yayasan Wadah has walked alongside them. No one could have imagined that years later the name would appear on a restaurant now bustling with visitors.

After Learning, What Comes Next?

In the beginning, Bosskid was never about business. Bosskid was about village children: how to keep them with a reason to learn, and a reason to dream.

Then came a difficult question: after learning, then what? Not every child continued their education, and not everyone had the chance to leave for the city, yet they still needed work.

Everything began and grew from that question. In 2011, the idea emerged to partner with the local youth organization, Karang Taruna, to open Somandeng Beach as a tourist destination. Not long afterward, on a limestone hill called Watusamudra at Indrayanti Beach, Juni and Win, working hand in hand with Yayasan Wadah, began building a restaurant, little by little. They named it “Bosskid.”

^{Boskidd restaurant 2016}

Growing through Every Hardship

The efforts of this resilient pair of village activists have not always gone smoothly. Last year, guest numbers plunged by around 30 to 40 percent after a government circular restricted school study tours. Instead of giving up, Win and Juni regrouped—renovating, refreshing the menu, and intensifying their promotional efforts. They partnered with travel agencies from various regions, including Malaysia and India, joined exhibitions and travel forums, and offered tour packages that extended all the way to Bali and Lombok. A social media post by a television actress also helped raise the profile of Resto Bosskid. Competition along the coastline became, in fact, a test of just how resilient this enterprise could be.

Today, at peak times, the restaurant can serve around 1,500 guests a day. Its kitchen is run by nine permanent employees, including two cooks and several kitchen assistants, with an additional 10 to 20 casual workers brought in when crowds swell. All of them are residents of Tepus, and the ingredients are sourced from local suppliers. “We treat every obstacle as a challenge that strengthens and matures us,” say Juni and Win with conviction. Wadah, which once guided them through their first steps, now simply stands behind them, keeping the space open for them to continue growing.

^{Bosskid Restaurant Now}

More Than Just “Food”

For Win and Juni, the restaurant has never really been just about food. They still remember Wasni. When she first came to work, she carried many burdens on her mind. Her body was thin, her face always looked weary, and her thoughts were never truly at ease.

^{Win & Jun}

No one can change a person’s life overnight. So Win did something simple: she invited Wasni to sit down and talk. Over time, Wasni opened up about her life, her struggles, and the debts she had to bear. Win helped her calculate how much she earned and how much she could set aside. Little by little, things changed, until one day Wasni could buy her child a school bag without borrowing money first and she could even start saving. “What matters is that her life is more in order,” Win says.

It sounds like a simple sentence. But perhaps that is where the true meaning of Bosskid lies. Not in how crowded the restaurant gets during the holiday season. Not in how many guests come each day, but in the lives that slowly grow better because there is a place that gives people the chance to stand on their own feet again.

^{The evening atmosphere at Bosskid Restaurant}

Author: Paula Stela Nova L

Editor: Zul Herman