Sixyearsago,thefirstonlineChinesefoodorderingserviceinthecountrywaslaunchedand,likeallstartups,theideatooktimetotakeoff.
“Westartedwithsixorsevenordersandcelebratedwhenwegotto20,”saidKentKagicha,MarketingManagerofYumKenya.Theplatformnowboastsmorethan100,000usersandhasgrownintoNairobi’spremierfooddeliveryserviceprovider.
JumiaFood,launchedayearafterYum,tellsasimilarstory.
“Weusedtoget50-100ordersaday;butnowwedo50ordersanhour,”saidShreenalRuparelia,ManagingDirectorofJumiaFoodandJumiaParty.Asordersincreasedonbothplatforms,soexponentiallydidthenumberofpeopleeatingChinesefood.Infact,inoneChineserestaurantusingonlinedelivery,resultswereinstant.
Slowstart
Inthepast,ChinesefoodinKenyawasmainlyonlyeatenbytheelite.
TinTin,oneofthefirstChineserestaurantsinNairobi,wasestablishedmorethan40yearsagointheCentralBusinessDistrict(CBD).TherestaurantwassoexclusivethatthefirstpresidentofKenyawasamongitsregularpatrons.
“Whenwestartedout,majorcorporatecompanieswerelocatedhereandsotherewasahighconcentrationofrestaurants,”saidJamiePujara,TinTin’sbusinesspartner,whohasbothChineseandIndianheritage.Manyoftheirclientswerecorporatewhite-collarworkerswhowouldwalkoverforlunchandtheuppermiddleclasswhowoulddrivetotownfordinner.Overtheyears,businesseshaverelocatedfromtheCBDandmanyrestaurantshavefollowedsuit.ButTinTindidn’tgothatroute.
“Afterthecorporatesmoved,werealizedthatveryfewpeopleweregoingtobravethetraffictocometotheCBDjusttoeat,sowechangedourbusinessmodelandstartedprovidingoutsidecateringtovariousblue-chipcompanies,”saidPujara.ThenewstrategyhelpedTinTinretainitsnichemarket;however,itwouldbeyearsbeforeChinesecuisinewouldtrickledowntotheordinaryKenyan.
Reasonsforpopularity
ThepopularityofChinesefoodinKenyahasbeentriggeredbyacombinationofthreefactors.
First,in1996,thenChinesePresidentJiangZeminsetoutafive-pointproposalofengagementbetweenChinaandAfrica.ThistriggeredasteadyinfluxofChinesetothecontinent.Statisticsshowthatmorethan1millionChineseliveontheAfricancontinentasof2017,comparedwithlessthan160,000in1996.Thefigurehascontinuedtoriseannually.WhilesomeChinesenationalshavecomeheretowork,themoreenterprisingonescametostartbusinesses-includingoperatingrestaurants-thuscontributingtotheaccessibilityofChinesefoodinNairobi.
Secondly,theeaseofentryintotheKenyanfoodindustryhasencouragedChineseentrepreneurstoventureintotherestaurantbusiness.AsKwameOwino,CEOoftheInstituteofEconomicAffairs,apublicpolicythinktank,explains,whenforeignerswanttoestablishrestaurants,theyareunderthesamestipulationsaslocalKenyans.
Thirdly,moreKenyansnowthaninthepasthavethecapacitytoeatoutbecausetheyhavedisposableincome.Astudydonein2017byglobalmarketresearchgroupIPSOSentitledAfricanLionsWhoAreAfrica’sRisingMiddleClass,saysthatthereare100millionmiddle-classpeopleinSub-SaharanAfrica(excludingSouthAfrica),representingatotalspendingpowerof$400millionaday.
Statisticsshowthat49percentofNairobi’spopulationismiddle-incomeearners.Itisthismiddleclass,whoareacquiringatasteforthingspastgenerationscouldneverafford-andeatingoutisoneofthem.
Thus,thecombinationofenterprisingChinese,anenablingenvironmentandagrowingmiddleclassisthepushthatwasneededtomakeChinesefoodpopular.
Lovethetaste
AlthoughtheflavorofChinesefoodmadeinKenyaisdifferenttothe“real”thing,itislovedbylocals.
AndiaAkidiva,aKenyanwhogrewupinCanadaeatingChinesefood,saidwhenshewenttoChina,shecouldnoteatthefoodtherebecauseitwassteamedandboiled.“Butthestuffweeathereisfriedandreallyflavoredwelllikethesweetandsourpork,soIpreferit,”shesaid.
FredOpatowhoworksatChineseCorner,arestaurantthat’sbeenopenformorethan10yearsatabusyNairobimall,saidit’snotjusthowit’sprepared,butthefoodisalsoeasilyrecognizable.
“Weserve80-90Africansdailyandtheylikenoodlesbecauseit’slikespaghetti,thedrybeefresemblesthelocaldelicacycallednyamachoma,”hesaid.
Andasmorefamiliesoptfortake-out,especiallyonSundays,Chinesefoodisbecomingtheirpreferredchoicebecauseofthegenerousportionsandvarietyofdishes.NinaZhenYe,owneroftheDoubleDragonChineseRestaurant,whohasbeeninNairobisince1997,describeshowhavingawiderangeofdishoptionsputsheraheadofthecompetition.
“Whentheotherrestaurantshavecompetitiveoffersontheirmeals,welosemoneybutwealwaysrecoveritovertheweekend;becausewhenfamiliescometoeat,theyorderaportionofchicken,fishandporkwithriceandthenshare.Theyliketryingoutdifferenttastes,”saidYe.
NairobiresidentWendyKinyuatakesherfamilyforChinesefoodeverySunday,“Ilikethatwecanalleattogether.Weorderasafamilyandsharethesamemeal,plus,thespicesaremildforthechildren,”shesaid.
Foodstrengthensculturalties
AlthoughKenya’smiddleclasshasmoremoneythanpastgenerations,theyarestillfrugal,whenitcomestoeatingout,saidRuparelia.“Chineserestaurantshaveunderstoodthemathofvolumes.TheaverageorderforaChinesemealis$10,unlikeothercuisinesthatwouldbe$24dollars,”hesaid,addingthatwithalowermarginbuthighernumberoforders,Chineserestaurantsareprofitable.
Chineserestaurantscanalsoaffordtokeepcostslowbecauseingredientsareeasilyavailable.BoLi,co-ownerofChineseKitchenandDimSumHouse,saidhebuysmostofhisingredientslocally.HealsopointsoutthathefindsKenyansarenowwillingtotryauthenticChinesemeals,notjustthe“KenyanChinesevariety.”
“FromtimetotimewemakeauthenticChinesefoodforourregularcustomersandthefeedbackisalwayspositive.SowearelookingforanotherlocationtoservemoreauthenticfoodlikeBeijingroastduck,”hesaid.
ChineserestaurantshavealsobeeninadvertentlyimprovingSino-Africanrelations.Kenyans’viewofChinesepeopleisheavilyinfluencedbynegativestoriesbroadcastedbyWesternmedia.ThesenarrativesunderminerelationsbetweenordinaryChineseandKenyans.Chineserestaurantsarehelpingtochangethis.KamauWango,DirectoroftheConfuciusInstituteatKenyattaUniversity,said,“WhenKenyansvisittheserestaurantstheybegintounderstandthebroaderChineseculture.”ThesecontactswithordinaryChinesehelpKenyansforgeamoreunbiasedview,hesaid.
AsMinnaCaiofChineseKitchenandDimSumHousesays,hercustomersregularlyaskheraboutChinesecultureandshecanofferamoreobjectivenarrativethanthemedia.ShealsotriestodecoratetherestaurantduringthevariousChinesefestivalsjusttomakepeopleawareoftheculturaldifferences.
**ReportingfromKenya
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