THE BRUTAL HONEST TRUTH: ArtCaffe Doesn’t Need Black People To Stay In Business

So Habida has kicked off a social media storm by commenting on the poor service she got at ArtCaffe recently.

She complained about how her chicken wings had been chewed and soon enough, confessions started cropping up all over social media about racist service at the restaurant. Well, the cold, hard truth is that ArtCaffe does not need black people for their business model to run.

Pass by any ArtCaffe branch, and the racial ‘imbalance’ will be obvious to you. It’s mainly populated with white people, and this is not by accident, it is by design. Artcaffe is a place where minorities in Kenya go to be together amongst themselves in cultural settings familiar to what they have back home. It’s like those shops in diaspora that serve ugali and chapo. Kenyans abroad flock to them because they want that nostalgic feeling. It is well known that European and American people have a serious coffee culture. Lots of people from those areas find it difficult to start their day without imbibing on a cup of the most bitter coffee they can find. When they come to Kenya, they want coffee joints like what they have back home, where they can pop in and grab a quick  ‘cuppa.’ As long as Artcaffe remains the best place where white Europeans and Americans can get that, then they will be in business. For every one Mwafrika who boycotts the place, ten Wazungus will sign up. Business as usual. I honestly don’t think this social media stumble will affect ArtCaffe much, but still, they needn’t be so blunt about their customer preferences. Political correctness and all that.

As for the Kenyans who go to ArtCaffe, I think it should be a once in a while thing for them. To go and get a glimpse of the whole coffee culture. But to go their regularly is really just forcing the issue. The place was not designed for you and I. You’ll end up looking like one of those old men who force themselves to go to young people’s parties:

Just AWKWARD.

Personally though, I can never be spotted at one of these coffee taverns! I find coffee so disgusting and it boggles my mind how people force themselves to partake of such a bitter slime! I’m encouraging my fellow Kenyan entrepreneurs to leave this coffee pretense and set up classy joints serving sweet, Kenyan tea(yaani MAJANI) and I will be there like yesterday! Who’s feeling me on that vibe?