According to one restaurant manager, his business is not just about serving excellent food – it’s about making patrons feel good.
Yet Karibu’s attraction is not just the food. According to one regular customer called Safari, the restaurant’s main secret is its excellent service. “I don’t want to go anywhere else, even if I find this place full; I just stand outside and wait,” he admits. “The service is good and quick and the food is really tasty.”
It seems Safari is not alone with that opinion. Even though the place is a bit hidden, people find it often enough for it to rank as a popular lunch spot. Moreover, with its big screaming sign post and huge music speakers, Karibu makes sure you don’t miss it.
Yet the main trick for any business is not just to attract customers, but to keep them coming back. At Karibu’s, for instance, the staff will make sure that, as in the case of Safari, you don’t want to go anywhere else. Leading the charm offensive is the supervisor, who makes her presence very clear, walking from table to table to checking if everything is fine.
According to the manager, Emmanuel Mugabe, their first aim is the customers’ comfort. “We aim at excellence and a customer is a king here, because we are here to serve the public,” he says, adding that people want to feel appreciated and cared for in such a business where competition is stiff.
It’s what Mugabe calls the ‘Feel Good Factor’ – offering the customer an experience which is beyond their expectations. Customers will remember that kind of care and the person who delivered it. When I visited the restaurant, for instance, my neighbor at the next table explicitly asked to be served by someone named Claude.
Fred was at my table moments after I sat down, bubbling with enthusiasm, telling me how grateful he was to be at my service. I immediately relaxed, feeling sure that he would take care of everything.
When I asked him for recommendations, he gave me a detailed and delicious description of what the menu calls Karibu Famous Steak – which is served with mushroom, pepper or garlic sauce. My mouth started watering, yet even before I could order it, Fred told me about another dish called chicken pancake and he painted such a picture that I wasn’t able to make a choice.
Yet before Fred could make me swoon just by describing all the items on the menu, I interrupted him and asked him to bring me the steak. And believe me, even if Karibu would have the worst service in the world, you would want to go back there for the delectable food.
I have already planned my next visit to Karibu, to go and taste the chicken pancake. And I will insist to be served by nobody else but Fred.
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