Classy and expansive

Fourteen years ago saw the advent of the Lugogo Mall that heralded the beginning of the shopping mall arcade and culture in Uganda. At that time, stores such as Game and Shoprite were unknown in Uganda and the investment has proven worthwhile, strategic and popular.
Today, Game and Shoprite have become household names and come to think about it what was missing from the equation was an eatery to fill that void. There were a couple of joints around Simba Café and Good African Coffee. However, in the main they were not big time operators and have since been displaced.
In the case of the latter, it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good and Café Javas taking over that property is the best thing that could have happened to the shopping centre.

The takeover
When Café Javas took over the Good African Coffee property at Lugogo, the normal Ugandan way of doing things would have been to have entered the property and changed the sign and done some minor cosmetic renovations and it would have been a business as usual.

Location
Location and the Mandela Group decided that what the premises lacked was an eatery that would favourably compliment the shopping stores and in one fell swoop they not only took over Good Africa Coffee but also Mr Tasty.
Naturally, they had to shut down the premises and start from square one and closure lasted more than a year and what a change! The results are amazing in terms of the planning and synergy, one would be forgiven for thinking that the new Café Javas was part of the original concept circa 2004.
The landlord ought to give them a minimum a 20-year lease for having put up a world class eatery that hitherto has been lacking. One could not have come up with a better choice and no doubt the latest café is a majestic tour de force for everyone to see, benefit and enjoy.
It helps to have money but that aside, one must also engage experts ranging from designers, interior decorators, architects, structural, physical, and environmental engineers and a host of other key personnel.

Centralised kitchen
A couple of years ago Café Javas saw it fit to invest in a centralised kitchen which has proven to be an invaluable and wise decision for a myriad of reasons including maximising on economies of scale, standardising and consistency of the product and overall control of all the food that is being served.

Menu
Looking at the latest Café Javas, one is left in little doubt that they are on familiar turf with the customary grey pillars, the great alfresco setting hitherto hardly anything to write home about.
Of course all the favorite runners to which we have become accustomed to such as their legendary Cajun chicken salad or rustica fish fillet and who can ever forget or resist the sinfully delicious chocolate fudge cake.
Last but not least, Café Javas have opened up two brand new cafes in Nairobi. Seemingly the Mandela Group have become a legend in their own time and the way things look the sky is the limit.