Meet Obadoh Obadoh, a Former Chang’aa Seller Turned Owner of Sh300 Million Restaurant Chain in Nairobi

Obadoh Obadoh, the founder and owner of Café Deli chain of restaurants in Nairobi has opened up about his journey to becoming one of the most successful restaurateurs in the city.

Born in a polygamous family in Budalang’i, Busia County, Obadoh was brought up by his stepmother alongside 13 siblings.

He explains that he was one of the best performers in primary school thanks to his father’s strictness. So bright he was that teachers in his school forced him to skip class seven.

Sadly, his father, who was the family’s sole source of income passed away while he was still in high school.

As the firstborn child, the demise of his dad meant he takes the responsibility of looking after his siblings.

Obadoh says he was forced to brew chang’aa, sell omena and charcoal in the village in a bid to put food on the table for his brothers and sisters.

“In Form Two, I started brewing chang’aa and selling charcoal to cater for my schooling and the family that my father left behind. I worked hard in everything I did because I hated that life and I wanted to get out so bad. I wanted to move further away from poverty and that is what drives me to date,” Obadoh tells Nairobi News.

After clearing high school, the entrepreneur says he opted to seek employment, a decision he says he doesn’t regret making.

“I have no regrets and I don’t take anything for granted,” notes Obadoh.

Armed with a KCSE certificate, his job searching endeavor landed him in Nairobi where he was lucky enough to get a job at Norfolk hotel as an apprentice chef. 

Life was not easy for him in the city since he lived in Dandora but he didn’t have a choice.

“I learned to coexist with all kinds of people. Some of my neighbors were touts, other petty thieves. The sewage system there was pathetic and we shared one toilet. What kept me going was a strong belief that one day I would succeed and make it in life.”

He worked here for four years before moving to Sarova Group of hotels, this time with experience as a pastry chef.

It is while working at the Sarova that he saw an idea that he could exploit.

“The cakes that were available were of poor quality. I was working for a five-star hotel and I understood what quality is. I wanted to give the middle-class quality at a price they can afford. I had one goal and that was to bridge the gap,” he explains.

He teamed up with a group of investors and opened a pastry shop in Westlands. After running the shop for some time, he decided to sell his shares for Sh800,000.

“I learned that if you are working with partners, you must have shared vision. If any of you has a different ambition from the business, then chances are that it will break down,” he notes.

Obadoh explains that he used the Sh800,000 to start a company, Nanjala Ltd.

In 2011, he learned that one of his clients was selling a restaurant but he could not afford the Sh18 million he was asking for and only had Sh40,000 in his account.

Determined, Obadoh says he was able to convince the hotel owner to reduce the price to Sh12 million.

“I set out to look for the money to close the deal, but the banks could not advance me the amount. This is when one of my friends introduced me to financiers who agreed to raise the capital to purchase the restaurant under Private Equity fund,” he explains.

“When you pitch a business idea, you must believe in it so much that you can sell to anyone. I believed in myself first and they saw that believe in me and they believed in my belief.”

This is how he managed to open the first Café Deli along Moi Avenue and explains that he was able to offset the Sh12 million loan he took within two years of operation.

“I managed to repay the loan because I did not change my lifestyle; my main focus was repaying the loan,” he adds. 

He says the same financiers later helped him open two other branches within the Nairobi CBD. 

In total, they have pumped about Sh100 million to his business and he says he is working hard to clear the entire loan to enable him fully own the business.

“I have learned to take risks. The Sh12 million is a risk I took and it paid off. I have learned that it is important to pay your debts and always concentrate on one thing at a time. Find one thing that you love and give it your all,”Obadoh says.

Surprisingly, he still works as a chef in one of his restaurants, which are estimated to be worth more than Sh300 million.