When President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Sunday night, our hearts broke for all those in the restaurant industry who are yet again in COVID-19’s death grip. For those who missed it, our nation’s eateries are only permitted to serve takeaway meals for the next 14 days, and are required to close by 8pm.
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We at Cape {town} Etc would like to remind our beloved local eateries that we are here to help. Through our #HighburyHearsYou initiative, you’ll be able to get your establishment advertised for free, right here with us. Please do not hesitate to send your takeaway menus and information to [email protected] so that we can get your name out there as soon as possible.
In the wake of devastation, a photo was taken of local restaurant owner, Celeste Perry of Fat Cactus in Gardens, just a few minutes after the announcement to shut restaurant doors was made.
The snapshot, taken by Kaylee Bush, hit us right in the gut, along with the rest of the country. The frozen moment in time is going viral on social media.
It said:
“Kaylee took this photo of the manager at Fat Cactus, after hearing the lockdown news last night. See the time on the clock [8:20 pm].”
“Restaurants have fridges full of food with no warning of closing. The heartbreak of them letting their staff go, knowing full well there is no support and they have families to feed, is devastating! Many restaurants won’t survive this. Some have closed for the 2 weeks and others trying to make every cent they can.”
As a community, we feel more helpless than ever. However, it’s ever so important to keep our chains up and keep hope alive. Here are a few suggestions as to how we can help, thanks to Celeste.
- Ordering takeaways from your favourite sit down restaurant.
- Buying vouchers to use at a later stage, even as gifts for birthdays etc.
- Asking the owner for the cell number of your favourite waitron and e-walleting them.
- Watching the musicians live streaming and donating what you can.
“The money you might have spent on your weekly tipple can now be paid forward to make a difference and help those who are crushed through no fault of their own. Please stay safe,” she continued.
Remember to send your takeaway menus and information to [email protected] so that we can get your name out there as soon as possible. Don’t have a takeaway menu? We’ll create one for you. We’re here to help in any way that we can. Let’s make it happen!
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