The iconic South African cocktail bar, News Café, has been a leader in the cocktail and lifestyle industry for many years. Thanks to tough industry competition and in an attempt to recapture the hearts of the greater Midrand community, News Café has aimed to bring a sophisticated, homely and vibrant atmosphere to locals.
Bhavna Baldeo, co-owner of News Café Midrand, situated at San Ridge Square, shared her thinking behind the all-new look and feel.
“This is the first of the new sort of colour schemes and thinking that News Café is gravitating towards. We’re the most newly renovated store and that’s why we’re seeing them here first. The real thinking behind it is that we want to create a sophisticated and classy cocktail environment.”
Earlier this year, News Café announced that it had taken a bold step in a new direction, ushering in a new era for the popular brand. The newly revamped Midrand franchise is but one of the many tricks the brand has up its sleeve as it responds to the need to deliver new and innovative concepts while staying relevant to large customer markets, which proved to be a challenge, as more competition arose.
In keeping in line with being voted the best cocktail bar in the ever-so-popular Best of Joburg Reader’s Choice Awards for many years, the hangout spot has added a special touch to its drinks menu by introducing a new set of cocktail options.
“It’s really just keeping up with trends and competition. News Café has always been a trendsetter and we want to stay ahead of the market – the new cocktail menu is really us tapping into the market,” said Bhavna.
Although it’s long been considered the go-to hangout spot in Midrand, the spot had gained notoriety as a noisy and unruly place likened with a club Bhavna said the Midrand team would work tirelessly to make the cocktail bar synonymous with sophistication and great social experiences.
“We don’t want to come accross as having a club type vibe. We want to offer all of it – from class to socialising. We want people to have a great experience all-round.”
The vibrant spot launched their new cocktail menu on 30 October, and promises that this will charm patrons from far and wide and give them a taste of what the new look News Café is all about.
“We’ve been here for 15 years and there are relationships that we’ve built with the community. A lot of the old faces keep coming back and we pride ourselves in the relationship and service that we give the locals,” said Bhavna.
