Restaurants and fast-food outlets “open” for business again

Date: 19 June 2020 By: Andries van Zyl

The restaurant and fast-food industries are among those hit hardest by the nationwide lockdown, but with the recent relaxation of Covid-19 regulation, businesses in this sector were thrown a much-needed lifeline.

Monday, 1 June, saw a relaxation of the Covid-19 lockdown regulations from Level 4 to Level 3. This also meant that restaurants and fast-food outlets were once again allowed to trade, although business did not continue as usual. People are still not allowed to enjoy sit-down meals, but at least they can now order out again. * A further Level 3 relaxation in lockdown regulations was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday, 17 June, that would allow for sit-down meals. The announcement was made after this article went to press.

The idea of a restaurant without people remains a foreign concept. For the time being, however, this will be the new normal and it has forced the restaurant and fast-food industry to rethink the way in which they were doing business in the past.

As for the changes involved, most restaurants now offer a reduced menu from which people can order online, via WhatsApp or by phoning the business with their order. Customers are now also offered a “collect yourselves” option or of having the order delivered at their doorstep (in most cases at a small extra delivery fee).

The Zoutpansberger spoke to a couple of local restaurants and fast-food outlets to find out what they were doing to make the best of the “lifeline” thrown to them.

KFC Drive-Thru open again

KFC is certainly one of the country’s most popular fast-food outlets and, judging by the rapidly moving queue through the KFC Drive-Thru on the corner of Grobler and Songozwi Street during peak periods, also one of the most popular locally. The drive-through service re-opened on 1 June, while people are also welcome to order take-away meals only and collect them at the restaurant. To help streamline the process, KFC have developed their own “click and collect” online ordering App at https://order.kfc.co.za. They are also making use of a local delivery service if people are unable to collect their order themselves. At this stage, the local KFCs offer about 80% of their original menu, but the situation is changing rapidly as more and more of their suppliers get up and running. One of the popular items not on offer at this stage is the KFC breakfast. They also do not offer their 24-hour service at this stage, mainly due to the Covid-19 regulations and the safety of their staff and the public. Their trading hours are currently from 09:00 to 22:00.

Oklahoma Spur will deliver

Another well-known local franchise is the Oklahoma Spur. Franchise operator Peter Chinodya is going out of his way to make ordering out as hassle-free as possible for loyal Spur patrons. “At this stage, we are limited to doing take-aways by using a limited menu and running specials,” said Peter. “We do call and collect with an option of deliveries at R25. You can call our landline at 083 498 6864 or WhatsApp us at 078 8138 605. All the orders will be processed accordingly,” said Peter.

At present, Spur is running a special on great combo deals, such as four 100g cheese burgers with two large chips and a 1,5 litre soda of your choice for only R249,90. If beef is not your scene, you can also try their chicken combo, consisting of a full chicken, a large chips and 1,5 litre soda of your choice for R199,90. “We would like to thank loyal patrons and suppliers who have supported us so far, and we also want to encourage everyone to come and support our local business, which was affected by the pandemic. Whenever you are ordering, please attach your loyalty card number for earning points. We will be distributing menus and specials at different companies,” said Peter.

Ocean Basket ready for orders

Seafood lovers are also delighted that Ocean Basket can take orders again and deliver meals. Local franchise owner Johan Kirsten is also the owner of OJ’s Steak Out. Both businesses are offering a reduced menu, with items taking too much time to prepare being left out. At present, they are operating with five staff members working a single shift.

Like other local restaurant and fast-food outlets, Johan offers a “call-and-collect” service, and he makes use of a local delivery service when home deliveries are required. Orders can be placed from 11:00 to 18:00, with collection taking place from 12:00 until 18:30. “Customers can order and collect their orders at the service table at the Ocean Basket entrance,” said Johan. For a menu, visit https://www.oceanbasket.com/menu/main, and to place an order locally, phone 015 516 1640 of 071 943 0199. For the thirsty, alcohol can also be ordered and delivered under Level 3 of the lockdown.

“All of our staff have been trained regarding Covid-19 rules and regulations. We also offer a contactless Snap Scan pay point for payments,” said Johan. As for the long-awaited resumption of sit-down meals for customers, Johan said that his customers must feel safe when visiting Ocean Basket. “We cannot wait to get the go-ahead for sit-down meals again, but before that, Pest Control will disinfect the whole restaurant. We are prepared and ready for that. We miss our family,” said Johan. As a Father's Day special on Sunday, 21 June, customers will get 20% off on their total order at OJ’s Steak Out, while being able to buy a platter for two (2 x mussel soup starter, 2 x 100g Hake, 6 Prince prawns, six mussels, 250g calamari steak strips and heads with chips, rice or stir-fry veg) for only R320. 

Barley & Jam's pizzas a winner

Fairly new to the local restaurant scene is Barley & Jam. “We have a limited breakfast option, and we are not offering salads and vegetables as a side option. We took advantage of the strong interest in our pizzas during May to add four new pizzas to our menu. These have proven to be very popular,” said manager Collin Clack.

Barley & Jam offers both a delivery and a call-and-collect service. “Orders may be placed either by WhatsApp or by calling us on 063 647 7631. Our deliveries are done by either scooter or car and are delivered by the two managers of Barley and Jam. We have implemented a take-away hatch on the outside of the restaurant for collections,” said Collin. He added that they are also affiliated with a local delivery service through which orders can be placed.

Collin said they had to implement a slight increase in prices because of the lockdown. “We have had to raise our prices in June by a small amount to factor in the cost of packaging required for the takeaway business that we have now had to implement. As our patrons now have an option to collect, we implemented a delivery charge from 1 June to cover the costs associated with delivery,” said Collin. Barley & Jam's trading hours are 09:00 to 19:00 Monday to Saturday and 09:00 to 13:00 on Sunday.

Residents are encouraged to support local restaurants and fast-food outlets during this difficult time, especially those who also support other local industries in turn.

* The Zoutpansberger invited local restaurants and fast-food outlets “open for business” last week to send through their ordering and delivering details to the newspaper. Above businesses were the only ones to respond before our going to press.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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