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Pete at the
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i Pete, Anne here. I’d like to talk to you about The George.” “OK, but you won’t make me cry will you?” “Cry? Er, no, I don’t usually …” “Last time I was interviewed, I did.” And he absolutely did. It was during lockdown. Pete Ely, owner of The George in uMhlanga Village, was interviewed by Grant Gavin on an Instagram live. It was during a very dark time in Pete’s lockdown life, and Grant, a motivational speaker, businessperson, and Northwood school friend of Pete’s said, ‘I want people to hear what you’re going through, how you’re feeling. Be vulnerable.’ “Vulnerable,” laughs Pete now. “I barely knew what the word meant. But I found out about halfway through. I broke down, crying, live, on Instagram.” Pete wears his heart on his sleeve. It’s all out there, nothing hidden. He loves people, really loves them, and freely admits to “not being an alone person”. He loathed the restaurant industry because he couldn’t interact authentically with guests: “I think of it like this. You go to a restaurant, book a table for two, you and your wife … you don’t want a third, that is, the restaurant manager.” But a pub’s different. Pete became full owner of The George on March 16, 2020, and a highly emotional celebration
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GEORGE THE GEORGE IS EVERYONE’S LOCAL DOWN IN UMHLANGA VILLAGE. WHETHER YOU LIKE BILTONG, BEER, SPORT OR COMPANY, NO MATTER THE TIME OF DAY, YOU’LL FEEL AT HOME, WRITES ANNE SCHAUFFER
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ensued the following day, St Patrick’s Day. Life was good. March 26, lockdown. He shrugs, “My timing wasn’t good, then again, sometimes my decision making …” He considers his career as somewhat of a rollercoaster: “My parents are English, and I grew up with those tough English standards. When I left school, I joined Dad in the butchery … he insisted I work in smart shoes, smart pants, a button-down shirt and a tie. But I had a very good grounding. Dad taught me how to look after people, and how to talk to them over the counter.” A grin, “Now I’m in cargo shorts and a golf shirt – my dad cringes every time he walks in here.” His real journey began when the butchery was delivering meat to the Keg and Friar, and the owner said, ‘Why don’t you come and work here at night?’ He was 19. That was the start of a whole new world for Pete, where, “No two days are the same, and you never know who’s going to walk through the door.” That lack of predictability, the freshness of faces, strangers becoming friends, real conversations over the counter, a shared passion for sport, was the ideal fit for Pete. When you’re as open to opportunities as he was, you’re a magnet for coincidences. He moved from Durban to Cape Town and back again, playing the roles of part-time and full-time barman and manager in various Kegs and Hops, and
