#OnesToWatchOutFor // Baobox Restaurant on Becoming Africa’s Premier Board Game Café

In our second episode of the #OnesToWatchOutFor we share with you the story of Baobox Restaurant and how they have changed the narrative of the restaurants in Nairobi by providing a place to unwind with the myriad of board games that are offered, great food, & beautiful ambiance.

Life before the internet for everyone was very different from today. Before the internet era, we have never had an easier time accessing any information, shopping, work, or event start a business, and imagining life without the internet is unheard of

However, on the downside, many who lived through these ‘Dark Ages’ will tell you how life seemed to be less busy, less stressful, and, frankly, more enjoyable. 

Before the internet, Amazon was just a river, Web design was exclusive to arachnids, Multiplayer games needed a table, and trolls were never heard of. The era was more of a ‘Friends Era’ as being social beings we were forced to talk to each other when we visited restaurants. 

Today most restaurants or places where people can hang out are connected to the internet hence people are more hooked to their phones, turning out to be quite antisocial. We are living in times where a whole generation’s main entertainment is food and alcohol and nothing develops them as who they are. 

It is evident that in as much as tech has helped in the different aspects of our lives, Technology has also played a huge role in taking over our daily lives.

However, a number of young enterpreneurs are changing this narrative and are trying to get this generation back to the friends’ era. 

Through their tagline, Eat, Play and Socialize, Baobox restaurant founders met in 2017, and in 11 months after their meeting, they were able to set up a premier board game café in East-Central Africa.

Baobox is a result of passion, six individuals who have come together with no experience in the food and beverage industry, but with simply a passion to create something unique and help various social circles rediscover fun outside technology. 

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“Creating a safe space where you can go with your family and friends and not feel like you are exposing your kids to the wrong environment was what we really wanted,” said  Sumit Dodhia, Founder Baobox Cafe 

What really drives people at Baobox restaurant are the board games. For $10 you can choose one of a hundred games to play at your table for an unlimited amount of time. The food is an afterthought,

The name Baobox originates from the traditional Kenyan game “Bao” better known as Mancala internationally; as is evident from the name, the founders believe in being as Kenyan as possible, which is why they provide Maasai Shukas for the chilly evenings, most of the furniture and fittings are built locally and all our ingredients are sourced locally.

To make it even better Baobox provides board games, redefining a different way on how people socialize and is perfect for everyone as they transcend all demographics; age, gender, religion all cease to exist once a game is opened.

We recently had a sit down with Sumit Dodhia, Founder of Baobox Cafe for our second episode of #OnesToWatchOutFor where he walked us through the interesting journey of Baobox, the company’s Unique Selling Point, this year’s highlights, and operating a business amidst a pandemic.