The first casualties of the global credit crunch in Cape Town could be Madame Zingara, the theatre restaurant, and Carluccis, a collection of four coffee shops and delicatessens in Cape Town, both of which are facing provisional liquidation, reports the Cape Times.
Madame Zingara operated as a restaurant with a difference in Loop Street for many years, and was dealt a blow when a fire destroyed most of the property. Enterprising owner Richard Griffin bought a Belgian Spiegelpaleis, and battled to seek approval initially to set it up. City ID Councillor at the time, Simon Grindrod, helped Griffin with a piece of Council property below the highways near the port. The ‘Theatre of Dreams’ received rave reviews, and the show and tent toured various parts of the country, and is currently in London.
To continue the employment of his staff that could not get UK visas, Griffin bought another smaller tent, and named it Mojolena, opening in December just as he was leaving for London. The impact of the provisional liquidation on Mojolena and the London tour of Madame Zingara is unknown, as the website does not provide information, and there is no reference to Mojolena. The Cape Times reports that the Cape Town operation has closed down and that its staff have been retrenched.
Carlucci’s had outlets in Bantry Bay, Oranjezicht, Gardens and Rondebosch, and the Oranjezicht and Gardens outlets will continue trading.
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