Restaurateurs hope for the best

With the recent lifting of the alcohol ban, however, some owners remain hopeful things will soon change for the better.

February 12, 2021

Xoliswa Kali 1 minute read

Gold Nugget owners Tanya Homem de Gouveia and her father Manny, have a new found determination to keep the family business open.

The restaurant industry was one of the hardest hit during the Covid-19 lockdown period.
As a result, many restaurants have closed their doors.
With the recent lifting of the alcohol ban, however, some owners remain hopeful things will soon change for the better.
“It is a hard transition because one minute we can trade and the next we can’t.
“It also makes a huge difference in service when we cannot serve alcohol,” explained Tanya Homem de Gouveia, whose family owns the Gold Nugget Steakhouse.

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The local eatery has for decades been one of the most frequented and loved restaurants in Springs.
“We took over in November 2019 and it was pretty busy, which was expected because it was the festive season.
“But 2020 was a slow start,” she said.
She said the restaurant started picking up in February, but the hard lockdown “just about wiped us out.”
The family had to let go of some staff members in order to save the business after months of no service.
“We could unfortunately not afford to keep everyone,” said Homem de Gouveia, adding the challenges prompted them to make some adjustments to the culture of service at the establishment.

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“During level three last year, we were able to start doing deliveries.
“It is still very hard to keep the business afloat under the circumstances, but we are hopeful that our regulars will pop back in soon and we will see new faces,” she said.
Homem de Gouveia said the restaurant has safety measures in place to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“We are not just trying to protect ourselves but all our clients as well,” she concluded.