Uncertain future for Stage Door
● Iconic restaurant’s future in balance as enforced shutdown takes its toll
Port Elizabeth’s oldest restaurant is facing possible closure.
Nelson Mandela Bay residents have reacted with shock to the news that the Stage Door at the Phoenix Hotel is the latest establishment facing the prospect of having to shut its doors for good.
The iconic restaurant, nestled in the heart of Central, announced on its Facebook page on Sunday night that it would no longer be open for takeaways because it was losing money each day it was open.
“We do not have any answers to the way forward,” the post reads.
The news was met with shock and hundreds of loyal patrons took to the page to lend their support and share some of their fondest memories of their time at the establishment, made famous by its fuss-free food and original décor.
The Phoenix Hotel opened in 1837, first in Market Square, and later in Chapel Street, making it the oldest operating hotel in the city.
The restaurant was opened some time later and went through a variety of changes to ultimately become the Stage Door, modelled on an old-fashioned Irish theatrical singing bar.
Owner Warwick Ofsowitz, who is in Florida in the US, said last night that things were not looking good.
“I am not going to beat around the bush. I will say it like it is — there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Ofsowitz said the restaurant had tried the takeaway route when level 3 of the lockdown was announced but it was not a viable option.
“On one of the days we sold one takeaway.
“That’s simply not sustainable,” he said.
However, he promised to do all he could to try to protect his staff, some of whom had been working at the restaurant and bar for 25 to 30 years.
“Some of them have been there for longer than me so we are still looking for a way forward, we just don’t know what it is yet.”
Ofsowitz said his being stuck in the US and not able to return to Port Elizabeth because of the travel restrictions had complicated the problem.
Patrons are equally disappointed.
Chas Hanslow, of Monmouth, Wales, in the UK, said the Stage Door was the first venue in the city he had visited when he arrived in 1973.
“I arrived on the Thursday and the very next day someone took me to the Stage Door at the Phoenix.
“From there we became regulars.”
Back in those days, Hanslow said patrons had to wear a suit and tie to be able to remain in the restaurant after 6pm, and ties could be rented from the front desk.
“Now 47, years later, it was my children’s favourite place to have a meal.
“The prawns are stunning. “It is so sad that they are having problems now.
“I hope that they manage to survive these times.
“It is one of the landmarks of Port Elizabeth.
“It holds some beautiful memories for me,” he said.
Part-time musician Rod Johnson, who had been playing at the Stage Door for the past two years, said he had known Ofsowitz since 1967 because his parents owned a florist next door to the hotel.
“So it was a popular place for us to go to as youngsters,” he said.
“The thing about the Stage Door is the décor inside is unchanged. The dark wood counters and columns haven’t changed.
“It is a nostalgic place for a lot of people.”
Johnson said even his dogs would miss the scraps they received after a scrumptious meal.
Weekend Post reported that at least five restaurants in the once-vibrant precinct of Stanley Street, Richmond Hill, are shutting up shop, with fears more will follow because the lockdown had made it impossible to trade.
On Saturday, the Unicorn Cafe and Salon in Perridgevale also announced its closure on Facebook.