Our restaurants are ready to serve!

Writer & Photographer: Hedda Mittner.

After three months of frustration and financial stress for chefs, restaurant and coffee shop owners and their staff, most of our local eateries reopened this week for sit-down service. It won’t be dining out as usual, though, as stringent prevention protocols and guidelines have been implemented to reduce the risk of spreading the Coronavirus.

Hope Chigova takes a customer’s temperature as part of the screening process at Char’d before guests are allowed into the premises.

In line with President Ramaphosa’s announcement that the Alert Level 3 regulations would be amended in an effort to reactivate the tourism sector so that businesses and jobs could be saved, Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane confirmed at a virtual press briefing on Friday afternoon that restaurants, casinos, cinemas and theatres, accredited and licensed accommodation (excluding Airbnb), and conference venues (for business purposes only) would be allowed to reopen on Monday 29 June.

Fabio Lenci is looking forward to welcoming guests back to Fabio’s Ristorante. Cattle Baron will remain closed for now, but Fabio has turned his other restaurant, Tosca in Aberdeen Street, into an Italian Deli where customers can buy freshly-made pasta, cheeses, charcuterie and pasta sauces.

Rasi, the barista at Grove’s Café, has become well-known during the lockdown for his delicious take-away cappuccinos. Both Grove’s Café and Fusion reopened for sit-down service this week.

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