Cafe Javas, alias CJ’s hotel, is one of the popular and fast-growing restaurant chains in Kenya, known for its diverse and high-quality dining experience.
The food chain is part of the Mandela group of companies owned by Ugandan business mogul Ahmed Omar Mandela.
Omar is among the wealthiest individuals in Uganda, with investments in various sectors, including hospitality, automotive, oil, and manufacturing.
Some of the companies associated with him are Cafe Javas, City Tyres, City Oil, City Lubes, City World, Savers, Food Hub, Mandela Millers and Mandela Auto Spares, which operate under the Mandela Group of companies.
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His journey to starting CJ’s began along Bombo Road in Kampala, Uganda where the businessman set up his first restaurant.
So booming was the business, inspiring Omar to expand to meet all his customers’ demands. As of 2022, the restaurant had 8 branches in Kampala and one in Entebbe.
The desire to continue offering people a quality dining experience saw Omar expand his food chain to Kenya.
However, CJ’s entry into Kenya was hit by a lawsuit over the brand name. The suit filed by Java House sought to block CJ’s establishment in Kenya, on the grounds that its name was similar to Java’s and would confuse customers.
The restaurant rebranded to CJ’s, starting operation in Kenya in 2018, with its first branch being located at the junction on Koinange and Biashara streets in Nairobi. The restaurant has since grown and has other branches four other branches in the capital.
