Man who co-founded Bar Next Door and his Rolex cravings

Weekend with the CEO

Man who co-founded Bar Next Door and his Rolex cravings

Saturday August 26 2023

Antony Owich, co-founder of Bar Next Door. PHOTO | POOL

When you look up the definition of ‘cool’ in the dictionary, you won’t find the picture of Antony ‘Koko’ Owich, the co-founder of Bar Next Door (BND), but maybe you should.

A cigar stub of a man, he packs the punch of a C-suite executive with the garnish of a guy next door. Underneath that operatic gusto patina however, is a serpentine-like veneer, the manner in which he moves can only be described as “cool as the underside of the pillow.” You could drop the African black widow spider down his shorts and he’d still be super cool.

Cool yes, but it is almost as if there was some kind of eerie Faustian bargain involved in his upbringing: He was raised in Nairobi West, the erstwhile bar capital in Kenya, when the late K-Rupt’s “Twende tukawake huko Nairobi West, tupitie South C” (let’s go get drunk in Nairobi West, we’ll pass by South C)” was the soundtrack of urban Nairobi—inventive, youthful, carefree.

By then, in Nairobi West Primary School, walking home with his uncle, he’d see people revelling on the road. The seed was planted then. Now, he runs inventive BND, just a youthful guy next door, recreating Nairobi West in little pockets of carefree Nairobi, one at Kileleshwa, another at Kiambu Road and, whisper it quietly, maybe one more at Diani?

Satiated with kuku kienyeji and ugali and life’s great purposelessness at BND Kiambu Road, we gently belched nerve gases into the atmosphere, as he mmhs and ahhhs and eeehhs over how the gym has broken his one true love affair with chapos.

Do you consider yourself a guy next door?

Yes, if you call me and if it aligns with my free time I will be there. I like to have a good time.

What do you do in your free time?

At least once a weekend I will be out, either here (Kiambu Road), Kileleshwa or Manhattan on Mombasa Road. I frequent other bars because they have other experiences.

I like to eat a lot so I will be out eating and enjoying. Then I’ll take my dog to Karura/Arboretum for a walk on Sundays.

What’s that one meal you could eat every day?

Chapo beans. But the carbs, men, it’s ridiculous!

There are two camps, chapo beans and chapo ndengu, which one are you?

Okay, haha! Chapo ndengu slaps differently. Every single Friday we’d have chapo ndengu at our house. So let’s say chapo ndengu, haha! My younger brother holds the record in our family for eating the most amount of chapatis.

How many?

Four and a half. Before you judge, they were those big and thick ones made with mama’s love.

Can you cook?

Well, yes. Rice, chicken stew, ugali, I can boil water, I can boil eggs, haha! The standard stuff for a bachelor.

Is the weekend for work or pleasure?

A bit of both. It was very hectic in the beginning so now the last calls I make on Fridays are to my general managers. If they are okay, I am okay. The weekend is my me-time. I’ll answer on WhatsApp if something is urgent.

What three words best describe your weekend?

Unpredictable, energetic, vibing.

Do you drink a lot?

No. I was once an advocate for Jameson, and our training was based on responsible drinking. You can sell a persona, but you don’t have to be that person.

What did you know about alcohol then that has helped you now?

Everything. I have been to Ireland where we learned a lot on alcohol, pricing, how it’s made, et al. It set me up to create a business that I fully understand, and even then, there are challenges that come at you that you don’t foresee. Every day is a learning curve.

What was your nickname growing up?

Koko. I used to listen to D’Banj, of Koko Empire. Anyone who calls me Koko knows me.

What remains unchanged about you since childhood?

I have always been considered the ‘cool guy.’ Not in terms of fashion, but in my demeanour. I’m just chill.

What’s your workout regimen?

Minimum four days a week. I hit the gym every day at 5 AM and workout until 6:30AM.

What’s the last thing you do before lights out?

Podcast or listen to an audiobook. But I always pray.

Is there a travel experience that changed you?

I invest in myself by travelling. But my travels are based on something—London, New York, Tokyo—these are economic hubs I frequent. I walk into their bars and rate everything, from their ambience, to service to drinks, and extrapolate this back home.

What’s the first thing you do in a new place?

I will snap, haha! Then immediately I get to a hotel, I will have chamomile tea. Tea calms me. In all my meetings, black tea has to be there.

What is an unusual habit or absurd thing that you love?

I love rollerblading. When I was growing up, I loved extreme sports. I lost my rollerblades, but I have been ice skating at Panari Hotel for some time. But it’s just the time man, time.

What is the dumbest thing you’ve spent money on?

I like clothes so I spend money on a lot of clothes—and this comes from a point of lack in my childhood. Also, the truth is I bought a piece of land somewhere in Bondo—thanks dad!—but I look at it and okay something might come out of it later, but come on. It’s land I bought out of pressure.

What’s the most trouble you’ve been in?

Sssssss! With the opposite gender or? Haha! But when I used to work at EABL and I was building BND…part of my job was to see five accounts every day, but the construction was wearing me down. They tracked my car and saw it in Kileleshwa…and figured out this is my bar. I hadn’t disclosed it…and that got me the heave-ho.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done?

My friend Kevin, Soni and myself went to an amusement park in Denmark. There was a slingshot ride which throws you halfway into the sky.

We were helpless once the slingshot was launched…although Sonny chickened out. Now I want to bungee jump and sky-dive. Plus I need to attend a Kendrick Lamar or Jay-Z concert.

What’s the best compliment you’ve received?

You are a very smart and intelligent person who is at the pulse of what’s happening in the world.

What’s life simplest pleasure?

Being in the present. The books I am reading now—The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (by Eric Jorgenson) and The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (Eckhart Tolle) are a reflection of that.

What is one book you read that changed your life?

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. That I don’t need to be the smartest, or wealthiest but just be at the right place at the right time. The universe aligns things with the effort you are putting in.

What’s the most boring part about being you?

Being in my head. What if people are judging me? But I am very aware of it. I can easily talk myself out of it. I am also working on my empathy skills.

If you could talk to any animal, what would that be?

An eagle. I go for life coaching sessions once a month on a Monday, and I always think of an eagle. Eagles can only be attacked by crows. But you know how eagles fight back? They soar higher. Crows can’t cope past a certain altitude.

Who would you buy a drink dead or alive?

My dad. He passed on two years ago just when I was starting my bar. Him and David Grutman—he has the biggest entertainment spots in the US. Oh, yes, and who could forget Jay Z?

Not you for sure. When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused what do you do?

Take a break. I got to Lamu. I feel safe—you unwind, you eat fruits. Even when I want to feel inspired, I head over to Lamu.

Are you an early-morning person or lie-in?

Early. 5.30 AM I am up. Whether on holiday or whatnot.

What’s your weekend soundtrack?

Nas. Check out his album King’s Disease II. People don’t need to know this but I also listen to Mariah Carey’s Anytime You Need a Friend haha!

What’s one treat you do just for yourself?

Travelling. I always come back with one piece to reward myself, even though I am struggling to use money for things people think are unnecessary. Currently, I am craving a Rolex, but I am not at that point yet.

What do you have that money can’t buy?

A well-functioning brain.

Is there something new you have been considering trying?

Swimming. I am not where I want to be yet but I can float haha! That and coding.

If you aren’t at work or at home, what other place are you most likely to be at?

Shamba Café. I like just going there and having some tea.

What colour is your life now?

Blue.

Are you happy?

I am. I realised it is just me vs me.

Who is the most famous person in your phonebook?

Sauti Sol. And Jawahir Khalifa who won Too Hot to Handle on Netflix.

What’s a weekend hack that can make my weekends better?

I have the best weekends when I don’t drink. I wake up fresh and go and have breakfast outside the house—ah bliss.

Shopping is my guilty pleasure. I have guys that get me custom pieces, and I get really excited like a child. Being intent about your weekend will make it your best weekend.

Who do you know that I should know?

One of my landlords. Mukesh Patel. He owns Imaara Mall. We don’t exactly finish each other’s sentences, but he is very helpful.

He also owns Tuffsteel and the amount of logistics he has going on? One time his secretary came in and she was worried she had messed up, but he was just chill. That comes with experience, that nothing is unfixable.

What drink best describes you?

D’Usse cognac. It is understated. Very discreet and is okay with being in the back. And it has to come from a certain region in France that only makes cognac. Plus, it’s owned by Jay Z haha!

→ (email protected)