South Africa, Cape Town, Wednesday, 12 August; SIX of the restaurants who have sought assistance from the Restaurant Rescue Project have already sold out of their dinner vouchers thanks to the public’s generosity and passion to keep as much of the Cape’s very fabric as a gastronomic destination in tact.

Launched only four (4) weeks ago by Stellenbosch wine producer Alex Dale of Radford Dale Winery and Chef Matt Manning of pupular Grub & Vine Restaurant; the initial plan was to simply give a helping hand to the eatery in a bid to keep the business afloat. However, with Dale gifting an extraordinarily generous two hundred (200) cases of premium Radford Dale wine, which was added to a Grub & Vine voucher that in turn sold out in only three (3) days, it was quickly realised that there were many other independent Cape restaurants who would welcome the same lifeline from wine estates. The revenue that Grub & Vine received from this promotion generated a very welcome R280,000, which has kept the restaurant’s doors open and staff employed.

South Africa’s epicurean hot spot, The Test Kitchen went live with its Restaurant Rescue Project campaign last night and sold out of the two hundred (200) vouchers priced at R1800 each in an astonishing seven (7) hours, providing R360, 000 in revenue. Its success was thanks to the collaboration of Stellenbosch wine producers, Jordan, Keermont, Oldenburg, Radford Dale, Ken Forrester and Hartenberg.

Other restaurants that are currently live on the project’s website include globally recognised Wolfgat Restaurant in Paternoster, Cheyne’s in Hout Bay and La Mouette in Sea Point. FYN and La Tête Restaurants are expected to be live to take bookings by this weekend.

THE RESTAURANT RESCUE PROJECT IN NUMBERS:

• 15:- restaurants currently participating (this will increase to 17 by the weekend)
• 17:- participating wineries (increasing to 25 by the weekend)
• 647– employees jobs and livelihoods safeguareded thus far (increasing to over 700 by the weekend)
• 2000:- number of RRP vouchers sold to date
• 1 million: revenue generated to date in Rands
• 5 million:- value in wine pledged by wineries to date in Rands

All revenue generated from this initiative is paid directly into participating restaurants accounts. There are no marketing or administrative fees, making the Restaurant Rescue Project 100% pro bono.

To view all the participating restaurants and to purchase RRP vouchers, visit: www.restaurantrescueproject.com.

For comment, please contact Alex Dale via alex@radforddale.com or call (27) 83 453 0053 or visit www.restaurantrescueproject.com Follow the campaign via #restaurantrescueproject.

For Press and Media assistance contact Ian Manley of ManleySocial on 0861 MANLEY (626 539) or email ian@publicity.co.za. ManleySocial represents the Restaurant Rescue Project pro bono as well as not for profit COVID-19 related organisations COURAGE – www.courage.africa and UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research)  –  www.covid.za.com