NESTLED between the mangroves and the sea, Virgina Beach has never been thought of as a major tourist attraction, nor would it inspire you to think of it as an eco-friendly beach. However, one restaurant is trying to change that by giving the beach a pristine, clean and environmentally friendly look by employing staff to clean the beach on a daily basis.

Since its R12-million makeover the beach is now home to new boardwalks, paved parking, secure fencing and a new 50-metre pier. The beach now boasts a pop-up restaurant, in the form of VB’s. The restaurant has already been a hit with local residents, becoming a household name despite just having opened three weeks ago.

However, it’s not VB’s staff’s keen business acumen that is being praised but rather its pragmatic approach to saving and caring for the beach.

Cameron Delaney, whose dad co-owns the restaurant, said the decision to look at employing staff to look after the litter strewn across the beach was always on the cards.

“I’ve grown up in the area, and this beach was always known as a fishing beach. And it was always filthy: people left bottles, wrappers and other items just strewn across the beach. We decided to employ cleaning staff and keep the environment clean and litter free,” he said.

“This is our office for three months, and we want to keep the beach looking pristine to make it more desirable for people to come here and just chill. It’s proven a huge success so far.”

His thoughts were echoed by Dylan Robertson, who also helps run the restaurant.

“Since we’ve opened we has been hugely popular with the locals. “I think it’s a very chilled atmosphere, and who wouldn’t want to enjoy a burger and a cold drink while looking out on the sea? One of our main focuses has been on cleaning up the beach and helping in its regeneration. The municipality has also been rehabilitating the sand dunes, and we want to help facilitate and maintain Virginia Beach’s new eco-friendly look,” Robertson said.

Jabu Dume, employed by VB’s to look after the beach, said he fills more than 50 bags of rubbish a week.

“I fill at least 12 bags of rubbish a day. It’s mainly hooks, fishing line and discarded bottles, spread over a small area between the pier and the restaurant. “This is now a wonderful beach, and my hope is for the people to throw their rubbish in the bin and not to throw it in the sand,” Jabu said.