VANDERBIJLPARK. – With fierce competition among the Vaal Triangle’s high quality restaurants, it is no easy feat to be distinguished from the rest by getting five star ratings on Facebook, Google Reviews and other prominent platforms. This is exactly what GiraRio Restaurant has managed to achieve in the past four years.
Situated at Riverside Boulevard Shopping Centre since 2017, GiraRio has made a name with its excellent flame grilled chicken and beef. Their delectable fish dishes are also a firm favourite among many customers.
Watching restaurant owner Fernando de Abreu and co-owner Virgilia Brophy working along with their team in their open kitchen, it is clear that they are driven by the pursuit of perfection and a passion for good food.
“We believe in transparency and consistency, allowing our customers an open view of our kitchen. We prep on demand, ensuring that our meals are at their freshest best,” says Fernando. “We are all about excellent, affordable food,” adds Virgilia.
The couple are very hands-on in every aspect of their business. Their waitresses are trained by Virgilia and the grillers by Fernando.
Everything on their menu can be ordered as take-away or can be enjoyed in their sit-down areas, indoors or out. Always on the look-out for ways to give their clients’ taste buds an unexpected treat, GiraRio was the first food outlet to introduce Espetada (meat on a stick) as a take-away.
Fernando has an in-depth background in the meat industry as his dad, Joe de Abreu, was the highly regarded owner of Keur Butchery in Vanderbijlpark for 35 years.
Virgilia also grew up in a household where good food was genuinely appreciated. She assisted in her dad’s take-away from a young age, acquiring valuable skills while prepping fish and mixing batter in the kitchen.
GiraRio used to be Giramundo, a part of Famous Brands, where Fernando and Virgilia scored 100% in their audits. They took their franchise from one of those with the lowest turnover to second highest turnover within two years. “We did well but we wanted more for our business and customers and went our separate way. That was when GiraRio was born,” says Fernando.
Like Fernando’s dad, Virgilia was born on the beautiful Portuguese island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean, south-west of Europe. The island is well-known for its colourful, cultural traditions and culinary delights. Although Fernando and Virgilia are proudly South African, they also treasure their roots. They proclaim laughingly that they run their business with Portuguese passion. You can taste their heritage in their food… wholesome garlic, lemon, olive oil and a variety of spices, all blended skilfully together to a delectable end-result that depicts the warm hearted, family-oriented folk from which the recipes originated.
GiraRio’s plan is to keep the business small, but long-term there is talk of opening another branch.“Watch this space, there is always something brewing in the GiraRio kitchen!” says Virgilia.
* Visit GiraRio at Shop 19A, Riverside Boulevard Shopping Centre, corner of Chopin Street and Frikkie Meyer Boulevard in Vanderbijlpark, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates. They are open from Mondays to Saturdays from 10:00 to 20:00, and on Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 16:00.
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