The empowering rise of women in South Africa's restaurant industry eatout.co.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eatout.co.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
eatout.co.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eatout.co.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
How to open a restaurant during a lockdown
Hilton Tarrant
Lockdown and its various restrictions caused the failure of hundreds – possibly even thousands – of restaurants in South Africa last year. But, these completely unprecedented conditions have seen operators, both existing and newcomers, opening new restaurants, cafés, eateries and dine-bars in many of these left-behind spaces. More often than not, the space itself is vital to a successful venture.
When opportunity strikes
Lexi Monzeglio, the creator of Lexi’s Healthy Eatery, seized two opportunities to expand beyond Johannesburg, and opened a franchised store in Hazelwood, Pretoria in July and a corporate store in Sea Point, Cape Town in December. The Sea Point store, in particular, “would simply not have happened if it wasn’t for lockdown,” says Lexi. “When we saw the site, it was a no brainer. We had to take it.” Getting finance was near-impossible but this allowed the group to bring a private equity firm