Cape Town - Italian restaurant Bardelli’s, a pizza and pasta joint in the leafy suburb of Kenilworth, is temporarily closed after a blaze that destroyed part of the building.
The restaurant established in 1992 has been running for more than 30 years and had been voted third-favourite pizzeria in South Africa in 2021 with most of its staff being with the place for more than 10 years.
Owner, Grant Hawkins said he was alerted to the fire in the early hours of Sunday morning by the manager in charge.
The blaze was contained to the kitchen and the front of the house where there is extensive damage.
The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are not yet known.
“We are working on a plan to keep our kitchen staff employed. Our waiters, however, will be affected, many who are relying on this income for studies. We will be at the express store, we will be doing deliveries from there. If possible we are looking to open for drinks in our courtyard to keep our waiters earning,” said Hawkins.
He extended his gratitude to the community and fire department for their fast reaction to contain the blaze.
“Bardelli’s has gone through several rough patches over the past few years, but we’ve always managed to land back on our feet due largely to the wonderful support we’ve received from our marvellous community, just like the massive outpouring of support we received during Covid-19 where we managed to sustain all our staff and keep our doors open throughout the pandemic.
“We know that this is only a temporary setback and it won’t be long until we reopen to serve delicious food to all our loyal customers. We feel so blessed to have the support of all of you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the kindness you’ve shown during this difficult time.”