Numerous restaurants have been opened at Table Mountain to whet the appetite of tourists and entice them to stay.
The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC) has expanded its hospitality at one of the seven natural wonders of the world in the last three months.
The man who has been at the forefront of the development is executive consultant for food and beverage Ronald Ramsamy, who hit the ground running when he began his job in August.
Ramsamy said when he arrived at TMACC, their food and beverage sector was a loss-making division.
“It was stuck in an era that had not progressed with the food industry in Cape Town. The Mother City is the best in the food scene and Table Mountain was lagging,” he said.
“Over time it developed a reputation of being only for tourists and something that was on the more expensive side.”
After doing a price comparison with other well-known establishments, Ramsamy said he found this reputation to be untrue.
“We discovered that there are popular restaurants in Cape Town charging more than what we have,” he said.
“The strategy was to do a business turnaround to reinvigorate what we have to offer.”
Ramsamy has worked in the food and beverage industry for other notable brands.
The latest addition is a restaurant called VIEWS by De Grendel Wines, situated at the top of Table Mountain.
VIEWS is a wine lounge that boasts a delicious menu and a wine tasting with panoramic views of the Mother City visible from its balconies.
“We found that tourists are always in a rush, and they miss the magic when they summit the mountain as they’re always on their way back down to do a wine tasting somewhere,” Ramsamy said.
The new restaurant caters for the dining experience, a spot for a glass of wine, and business functions as a conference venue or year-end functions.
A Vida e Caffè was opened at the base of the mountain.
“The lower station needed something for our cyclists and runners. We sacrificed the kiosk we used to have for this,” he said.
“It’s also helpful for when people are queuing for tickets and it helps that it is a brand people know.”
The other addition, was a bar at the base called TAP, which is hosted in partnership with Cape Town brewing company Newlands Spring.
TAP was created so that people could still enjoy sunsets and views of the city on days when the weather wouldn’t allow the cable car to go up.
“People can enjoy the view of Lion’s Head and Signal (Hill) from here and even though it is a bar, we also have a food menu,” he said.
The café that used to be on the mountain has also been completely renovated and renamed TEN67 Eatery. The food concept has been adapted to a quick-service restaurant model catering to all dietary needs.
Next on their list is a new establishment called KLOUD bar, which is expected to open in the first week of December. KLOUD will be launched in partnership with Aperol Spritz and is based on the terrace of the mountain.
“We’ve turned this into a cocktail bar, but it has a food offering attached to it,” Ramsamy said.
“We have found that many people enjoy the view of Camps Bay and Hout Bay from here and it is the best sunset view,” he added.
Ramsamy said the main goal with all the new offerings was to connect the mountain with locals again.
“We wanted locals to have confidence and trust in Table Mountain’s food and beverage offering and that it will speak to their needs,” he said.
“Now, each area has a unique identity that talks to the needs of different people. We want to connect with people and this was the start of it,” he added.
TMACC also offers free rides to any South African citizen on their birthday, and a programme allowing children from less-privileged schools to visit the mountain at R50 per learner for a cable car ride.
Aside from this, there is a new fast-track option where patrons can skip the queues if they are willing to dig a little deeper into their pocket.
The company’s managing director, Wahida Parker, said while all businesses in the tourism industry suffered setbacks, they wasted no time in making a comeback.
“We used that time to reinvent ourselves, re-looking at how we could make the experience more satisfying for any visitor,” she said.
“Cape Town is known for its incredible food offering. We thought this was an area we could explore.
“We are looking at various angles to make the mountain part of people’s special events. We want people to feel that the mountain is a place to visit as often as you have something to celebrate, and not only once off.”