Rampant crime and unhygienic conditions at some top brand restaurants in Hillbrow and Yeoville and have been cited as major concerns for the closure of the popular food outlets in those areas.
The outlets concerned include a Nando’s outlet on Raleigh Street, which has since closed down more than a year ago but the Hillbrow branch is still running smoothly on Pretorius Street.
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The Hillbrow-based Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet on the corner of Catherine and Kotze streets closed down in July last year after many years of service to the cosmopolitan communities of the inner-city suburb.
Two KFCs in Hillbrow, the other located at a business and residential complex known as High Point along Pretorius Street, are currently being refurbished.
The closure of the outlet is understandable as it was overrun by vagrants who slept next to the doors of the food chain outlet and also urinated on the alleyway behind the outlet, which also serves as a service lane for the store.
The closure came after many years of trying to manage the situation on the part of the store but unfortunately, the conditions seemed to deteriorate even further, reaching unmanageable peaks.
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Customers wanting to access the store had to jump over the sleeping vagrants with all their hordes of dirty blankets strewn and a smelly environment infested with flies on the alleyway.
Crime is also understood to have been the order of the day at the outlet as it was robbed every day. Both the crime and unhygienic conditions are believed to have forced customers to look for alternative food outlets in close proximity, leading to a dwindling customer base.
The said areas have diminished with the infestation of crime and are now environments not conducive to do business.
The spokesperson for Nando’s, who did not wish to be named, described their decision to close down the franchise there as ‘regrettable’.
“Over the years, we introduced a range of security measures but we were overwhelmed and could no longer keep operations of this restaurant going for any longer.
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“We regretted having to leave the area, but our Nandocas [customers] do come first and their well-being is of utmost importance to us, so we had to take the hard decision to close the restaurant,” he said.
The spokesperson assured the public that even though the outlet closed down, there were no jobs lost as the entire staff were absorbed in other stores in various areas.
“We absorbed all the staff into our other restaurants… this was made possible seeing that this was a corporate-owned casa [restaurant].”
He added that the closing of a restaurant was never an ideal option as it affects the business and the communities from which it operates.
“None of this is as serious as the responsibility we have towards the safety of our staff and customers. They always come first in whatever we do and decisions we take.
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Thabisa Mkhwanazi, public affairs director at KFC Africa, which incorporates South African stores said, “KFC South Africa closed its doors as part of the brand’s efforts to provide better in-store experiences for our consumers.
“KFC remains committed to Hillbrow and our loyal customers and are working hard to get the renovated restaurant [on Pretorius Street] open soon.”
Another KFC restaurant on Raleigh Street opposite Shoprite in Yeoville has also closed its doors as well as Roman’s Pizza located on the same street.
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