For travellers heading to the Maasai Mara, Narok is often a place to stop, refuel and continue the journey. Now, there is another reason to pause.
Java House has opened a new restaurant at Hass Petroleum’s Narok service station, bringing its food and drinks closer to residents, students and motorists passing through the town.
The outlet offers a place to meet friends, catch up on work or grab a meal, including for students at Maasai Mara University and people working in Narok’s growing business community.
But the location also reflects a wider change in how restaurants are reaching customers: moving beyond shopping centres and city streets to places where people are already travelling.
Narok sits on a busy route linking Nairobi with the South Rift and Lake Victoria regions, while serving as a gateway for visitors heading to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. That makes it an important stop for both local commuters and tourists.
Java House Group Chief Executive Priscilla Gathungu says the new branch is part of the company’s effort to bring its restaurants closer to customers wherever they live, work or travel.
Hass Petroleum Chief Executive Abdusalam Salim Mohamed says the partnership brings fuel, shopping and dining together at one location, giving motorists and local residents more services during a single stop.
Java House has also opened outlets at Windsor along Nairobi’s Northern Bypass, in Thika and on Rabai Road in Buruburu, as well as in Jinja, Uganda pushing up its network to 115 outlets across 20 cities and towns in East Africa.
The Java House Narok branch is also expected to create jobs for local residents.