More than 50 years of service

A landmark and legacy; nostalgic, proud and renowned.

These are but just some words to describe Randfontein’s favourite drive-in family restaurant Uncle Harry’s Roadhouse in Robinson which has been around for five decades. This year and over three days starting on July 26, the roadhouse will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and deservingly so. The Herald thus sat down with Uncle Harry’s owner Demetri Pappas, better known as Jimmy, to reflect on not just the roadhouse’s rich history but also the good old days and his fondest memories. Those memories include a jukebox, pinball machine, the sound of clarinets, cheeseburgers and Brylcreem.

According to the 65-year-old Jimmy, although his late father Harry, most famously known to the public as Uncle Harry, built the roadhouse in 1973, the official opening was July 18, 1974. He explained how the Pappas family of Spartan descent and the Vlachos family (also Greeks) pioneered the café business in the 1930s.

Born in Loganiko, a small mountain village near Sparta in Greece on November 20, 1914, Harry travelled to South Africa on a ship, ironically called ‘Randfontein’ when he was just 14 years of age. Harry first started the very popular Harry’s Famous Grill House (also known as the Palace Café) in 1932. It had a sit-down restaurant with some of its famous meals including pie and gravy, the original hamburger, and the famed mixed grill containing steak, lamb chops, pork sausage, bacon, mixed salad, chips, fried onions and a slice of toast – which Uncle Harry’s still sell to this very day. To add, Harry even sold his very own soft drink called Pappa’s Cola.

Dimitri Vlachos (then 27) and brothers Peter (27) and Harry (17) then registered with the Department of Labour as an ‘employer’ in the Tea Room, Restaurant and Catering Trade, carrying on business under the style of Palace Café and Royal Café (opposite the famous Plaza cinema).

The brothers had four cafés in town. The others were the Marina Café and Elite Café – both not in existence anymore. Surprisingly, Harry only returned once ever to Greece in 1948 to marry educator Helen, who returned to South Africa with him and helped run his shop as well as raising five children. Harry then proceeded to spend the next 70 years in Randfontein until his death on September 19, 2002, due to pneumonia complications. The Herald reported then that Harry sadly passed away in Jimmy’s arms.

“He was an extra committed, super extraordinary and dedicated man who loved what he did – particularly to serve the public by selling quality food to customers and making them happy. His motto was service and satisfaction in other words, ‘if you’re satisfied, please tell your friends, if not, you tell us’. This is still the case today.” However, Jimmy said it wasn’t all sunshine and roses though for the Pappas family. “The café life was hard and one didn’t earn a living. Back then there was lots of competition and in the modern era, it is difficult to survive in the food market as it comes with many challenges like load-shedding not to mention the effects of Covid. We eventually became successful, yes, but it took blood, sweat and tears – also commitment.

“My father wanted to better his life and he felt a roadhouse would be a good business proposition and more profitable at the entrance and exit of the town.”

Jimmy added the decision by his father to build the roadhouse at its current location and near a cenotaph was a strategic one.

“The cenotaph was built in honour of those who had fallen. My father loved the cenotaph as it has a sense of attachment and emotional value. A lot of the survivors were my father’s friends and my father also knew a lot of the old engineers who worked at the Randfontein Estate mine at the time of the Second World War. When military bands had a parade at the cenotaph, the bagpipes playing would remind Harry of Greek clarinet music during his childhood – which was very sentimental to him.”

Asked what the roadhouse meant to Jimmy he said, “It is a legacy of more than 90 years and not just a business but our home.” Although Jimmy did not want to divulge too much about their secrets, the word family popped up regularly.

“Offering good and quality food at a reasonable price to remain competitive, being hands-on, having reliable and happy staff – that’s the secret. My father always said ‘we are open seven days a week and sacrifice every day to provide food to families in the community’. Our staff has also worked tirelessly with us for years and to put it into perspective, they are part of the Uncle Harry’s family.”

Don’t miss out on Uncle Harry’s 50th birthday bash from July 26 to 28.

“I have always prayed for this day and God has given it. A special thank you to all our clients and patrons over all these years. We are humbled by your loyal support and have seen our customers get old and their children grow up. We have had people getting married here and seen it all,” Jimmy concluded.