The owner of Pulp Cinema will be launching a new restaurant/bar, Sentraal, with the hopes of reviving the often “overlooked” Mill Square, in Stellenbosch.
The restaurant will be launched in early January 2021, said owner Werner de Swardt.
According to De Swardt, the restaurant, based in an outdoor, often “overlooked”, section of Eikestad Mall, is still under construction.
Werner de Swardt has been running the Pulp Cinema for nine years, and is now branching out into the restaurant industry with Sentraal, he said. PHOTO: Supplied/Werner de Swardt
“If you look at an aerial view of central Stellenbosch, it is a fantastic location. It is Sentraal, right in the middle of everything,” he said.
Because Mill Square isn’t well-known, it has remained under the radar, according to De Swardt.
“People have overlooked it for a long time. It’s going to take something to attract feet into that quad,” he said.
The owner of a vintage store, Coats from Europe, which is situated across from where Sentraal will operate, Stephanie Westdyk, confirmed that the square is a quiet location.
“I think that the restaurant will certainly bring in more people to the square,” she said.
Quality without exorbitant prices
De Swardt also aims to fill a gap in the local restaurant market, he said.
“It is my feeling that business people who deal with students, don’t go to that much trouble to offer quality. If they do offer quality, the prices become exorbitant,” said De Swardt.
Stellenbosch is underserved in terms of large outside seating spaces, according to Werner de Swardt. PHOTO: Supplied/Werner de Swardt
According to De Swardt, students are very appreciative when quality is kept high but the prices are low.
Sentraal will take the form of a restaurant/bar with a street style eatery and a food truck in the outside area serving customers, De Swardt said.
According to De Swardt, he is hoping to speak with renowned local chef and restaurateur Bertus Basson to establish a culinary team.
“It is fantastic that new restaurants are opening in Stellenbosch, especially during such a difficult time, keeping our restaurant industry exciting, relevant and innovative,” Basson told MatieMedia.
This comes after several local restaurants have been forced to close as a result of the nationwide lockdown regulations amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
The surrounding business owners are supportive of De Swardt’s development of the overlooked retail area. “I think what he is creating is fantastic,” said Stephanie Westdyk, owner of Coats from Europe, which is opposite the restaurant. PHOTO: Fern Bamber
Opening with a bang
With only a small percentage of students having returned to the town, De Swardt said that he is wary to open up the restaurant amidst a “slack market”.
“We are keeping our eyes open with what’s happening with Covid and movement in town. We would like to open with a bang – meaning that we would like to have enough customers in town to attract,” he said.
However, the clubhouse, an upstairs seating area and bar designed to provide a meeting place for student clubs and societies, will definitely be launched this year, said De Swardt.
The restaurant in its entirety will be launched in early January 2021 at the latest, De Swardt said.
The upstairs clubhouse will provide a place for student-led clubs and societies to gather, and will be launched sometime this year, according to De Swardt. PHOTO: Fern Bamber