Safari Park Hotel plans to open a coffee shop at JKIA. Photo/FILE
What you need to know:
Safari Park plans to open more coffee and juice shops at strategic locations targeting middle class customers.
JKIA coffee shop can accommodate 50 clients at a sitting, while the KICC outlet will have capacity for 120 customers from the previous 40.
Safari Park Hotel is set to open a coffee shop at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, stepping up a diversification plan that has also seen it set up a restaurant at the KICC.
The hotel which is owned by a South Korean casino operator, Paradise Company, Wednesday said it plans to open more coffee and juice shops at strategic locations targeting middle class customers.
The Safari Park Hotel and Casino general manager Solomon Matiri said in an interview that the JKIA outlet located in the newly built Terminal 4 would be opened by August.
‘’The outlet will be located within the airport and will cater for the large market of people on transit,” said Mr Matiri.
Safari Park is currently renovating and expanding its shop at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) to include a larger menu than just drinks and snacks.
The JKIA coffee shop can accommodate 50 clients at a sitting, while the KICC outlet will have capacity for 120 customers from the previous 40.
Mr Matiri declined to disclose how much Safari Park has set aside for its expansion plans or even its financing plans.
“We intend to roll out similar projects in different prime areas in the country,’’ said Mr Matiri.
JKIA is set to host both local and international fast-food and coffee shops which were invited to tender for space at the new terminal by the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA).
The airports regulator said in January during announcement of the tenders that it expected bids from international fast food brands such as Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonalds.
Locally owned Avanti Group of Restaurants has also said it expects to open an outlet at JKIA before end of the year.
Other food chains that already have outlets at JKIA include Java coffee shop, Simba restaurant, Karibu Café and Kwaheri Snack Bar.
Safari Park has also diversified into laundry shops such as the Habari Laundry located along Nairobi’s Kiambu Road and another one at Nakumatt Kiambu Road.
Safari Park has put on hold plans to construct a five-star hotel at the airport. ‘‘We had expected to set up a five-star hotel at the airport a few years back but financing became a major challenge,’’ said Mr Matiri.
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