The Milk Restaurant & Champagne Bar, which launched in 2018, has become a household name in the city. Founder Siphelo Jalivane started the business with his own money and created an upscale-dining experience in the heart of Khayelitsha – one of the largest informal settlements in South Africa. In recent years, establishments have been redefining Khayelitsha as the Cape’s next tourism and entertainment hub, alongside recent developments of The Spade Boutique Hotel & Spa, Rands Cape Town, Spine Road Lifestyle, Ocean Canda and Seek Lounge. These establishments have now joined a list of long-standing, well-known ones such as Kwa Ace and Kefu’s Jazz Bar.
However, as soon as Milk Restaurant & Champagne Bar had opened its doors and attracted its clientele, they were hit by financial and operational realities. As a result, The Milk Restaurant & Champagne Bar had to close down. ‘I opened the business too soon. I was in a rush and wanted to get it off the ground, not knowing the challenges I would face with infrastructure. I took the kitchen equipment required for granted and this impacted service delivery. Additionally, I was in financial woes. I had invested every cent in construction, borrowed money from here and there, and collectors were chasing me. I was in financial distress. I had to face the music and own up to my mistakes, which caught up with me at a later stage. Lockdown saved me because I was drowning; I was going on because I had to and had no intention of giving up. Now that I look back on it, that wasn’t healthy. Lockdown forced me to sit and simmer in my reality. It saved me because, through it, I developed a healthy business relationship with the two successful brothers and outdoor Mecca Kings,’ says Spelo.
Transitioning from financial distress, Siphelo points to the COVID-19 pandemic as a blessing in disguise. The Milk Restaurant & Champagne Bar founder expresses how lockdown allowed him to reflect on decisions and recreate his reality. ‘COVID-19 was a blessing in disguise for me. While it stripped me of my dignity and left me out in the open for everyone to know my financial struggles, it helped me regroup and develop new relationships in business and in life.’ As with many other start-ups,
Siphelo also struggled to navigate this new norm. ‘It is no secret that I opened the business in 2018 without the anticipation of the traffic we would receive, nor how certain aspects I thought were small would impact the operations massively. Now that I look back on it, I don’t want to say I wasn’t ready, but I underestimated the challenges that come with opening a business of this magnitude and in a township. I made a few mistakes that became valuable life lessons.’
Fast forward to 2022, The Milk Restaurant & Champagne Bar has been regraded and relaunched alongside the help of its two new partners, the Mbeki brothers, Mshayi and Mfundo, co-founders of Rands Cape Town – another popular space in Khayelitsha, adjacent to The Milk Restaurant & Champagne Bar. In addition to owning restaurants, Siphelo adds that he and the Mbeki brothers will soon be trading in liquor. ‘We are branching into the distribution of liquor within the townships. If we can’t control the production, we should control how alcohol is moved within our townships. This is a multimillion rand business, and through the establishment of our new stores located in Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and Phillipi, we are looking at creating a distributive ecosystem that will benefit small-medium businesses in the townships. Our stores will launch in the summer,’ he says.
The Milk Restaurant & Champagne Bar began booming post-COVID restrictions and set off as one of Khayelitsha’s tourist attractions. Siphelo says, ‘The Milk Restaurant & Champagne Bar has now relaunched, with the ground floor being a liquor store for off-site consumption. The first floor is the restaurant, which now has a semi-fine dining focus, instead of its initial fine-dining experience, with options ranging from seafood to grills and light meals. The rooftop houses the champagne bar with a lounge setting and overlooks the Khayelitsha township. It offers premium beverages such as champagne, cognac, and whisky. Its lounge setting has four- to10-seater loungers to accommodate groups.’
Siphelo goes on to add, ‘with the Mbeki brothers who assisted me in recovering the business, I have now paid off my debt. In the process we have also established a solid partnership and have many plans to grow in business.’ The Milk Restaurant & Champagne Bar founder was not prepared to give up on his dream. ‘I was passionate about football, but circumstances made me give up. I was not willing to give up this time around. I don’t know how I didn’t go insane during COVID-19; it really was a dark time and I’m glad I could overcome it. I think it’s important to believe in yourself – when you do, half the battles ahead are already won,’ he concludes.
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