Tag Archives: Madame Zingara

Credit crunch local bite

Much of what has been heard about the effect of the global credit crunch has related to the United Kingdom and the USA.

When well-known South African brands are affected, the credit crunch is a litle too close to home for comfort.

Madame Zingara and Carlucci’s went into liquidation earlier this year.   Now three Vide e Caffe branches, in St George’s Street, on Greenmarket Square, and in Bayside Mall have closed, despite the company expanding its operation to the United Kingdom in the near future.   The three Vida e Caffee outlets belong to a franchisee who is taking the Vida e Caffe franchisor to court for alleged misrepresentation of the income potential of his three outlets.

A shock discovery earlier this week was to see the poor state of the Orchards farmstall on the N2 highway outside Grabouw.   It has been a landmark on the trip from Cape Town to Hermanus.   Hardly any fruit was displayed, and the few bananas on the shelf were black.   The restaurant service was poor, and on enquiry the customer was told that the farmstall is in liquidation.   It has apparantly just been taken over by a new owner.  A few kilometers further along is an auction sign outside the popular Houw Hoek farmstall,  also on the N2 highway.   The auction will take place later this month.

Wang Thai and Cafe Delmar in Camps Bay have also closed down.

Two estate agencies have closed down and are in liquidation – Churchill Murray closed last month, and O’Shea Properties has just closed down, the latter only having operated for a few months, and was originally Engel & Volkers.

Madame Zingara : RIP

Madame Zingara is dead!   The ‘Theatre of Dreams’ circus theatre restaurant, which was created as a result of a fire in the original Madame Zingara premises in Loop Street in Cape Town, went into final liquidation yesterday.

Madame Zingara owner and “ringmaster, Richard Griffin, appears to have over-extended himself, in taking his Madame Zingara to London in December, at the same time that he opened Mojolena, a sister theatre restaurant, but on a much smaller scale, in Cape Town, so that he could continue employing the staff that could not get visas to go to the UK.   His backers in the UK pulled out due to the credit crunch, while unpaid debts in Cape Town led to the liquidation.

Whilst Madame Zingara opened to sold-out nights at the Battersea Power Station in London in December, it was a fantastic “advertisement” for South African creativity, and the culinary and cultural marriage.    However, the marketing damage of the closure in London is bad for the country, as the Time Out website, which had featured a very favourable review, is filled with comments from persons who had booked and paid for the dinner and show, but who do not appear to be able to receive their money back.   Griffin’s South African origin is mentioned in the comments.

Griffin also has unpleasant culpable homicide and attempted murder charges hanging over his head, resulting from an accident in 2006, in which a pedestrian died and another was injured, with Griffin allegedly driving into them, reports the Cape Argus.

Madame Zingara on deathbed

After a short illness, Madame Zingara and her sister Mojolena are on their deathbed.

Not only is Madame Zingara in provisional liquidation , but her UK partners, who had provided financial backing and helped with staff work visa applications, have both withdrawn, citing the global credit crunch.   The show had moved to Battersea Power Station in London in December, and was planning a tour to Scotland and Europe thereafter, reports the Cape Times.

Richard Griffin, a talented and creative dinner theatre showmaster, has had his share of bad luck.  The first Madame Zingara restaurant, which opened in Loop Street eight years ago, was destroyed by a fire, which challenged Griffin to buy a Spiegelpaleis circus tent in Belgium and set up his Theatre of Dreams underneath the highway at the entrance to the port in Cape Town. 

Perhaps more of a showman than a businessman, Griffin did not see the global credit crunch coming, and the impact it would have on opening a new restaurant in London, whilst opening a new sister restaurant, Mojolena, at the same time in Cape Town in December.  WhaleTales was critical of the opening party for Mojolena.

Madame Zingara to close her circus?

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.