Instead of capitalising on the easing of lockdown restrictions from Level 5 to Level 4 and rushing back into their various Cape Town kitchens, the Mother City’s oldest pizza delivery service has taken a far more measured, responsible route for the sake of public health and safety. Butler’s Pizza will open its Rondebosch outlet for beta testing of its new social distancing delivery model, before rolling out the learnings and successes to its other area branches.
“We’re taking the responsible route to Level 4‘s return to hot food delivery,” says Butler’s Pizza founder Robert Wilkinson
The popular regional chain currently services the City Bowl, N1 City, Bellville, Tableview, Newlands and Wynberg, in addition to its Rondebosch branch. All the Butlers Pizza kitchens are already “dark” (the term used to describe a delivery-only restaurant) and have been since the company’s inception. Established in 1989, the business is the oldest delivery-only model in the country and is thus well-poised to successfully navigate the constraints of trade within Level 4, where online ordering and home delivery of hot food are allowed.
Butler’s Pizza is busy enrolling its senior management staff in up-to-the-minute new training modules designed to optimize the running of a kitchen during a pandemic, while still maintaining the necessary social distancing. This reskilling programme will be conducted virtually by the renowned Silwood School of Cookery.
The new training venture with Silwood – which has been dubbed the “Silwood Butlerversity” – extends the ongoing collaboration between the venerated cooking institute and the much-loved pizza brand. The secret tomato sauce that seasons the Butler’s base, for instance, was developed in the Silwood kitchens.
“We’re taking this approach,” explains Butler’s Pizza Founder Robert Wilkinson, “because we’re putting people first – our staff and our customers. We will operate to the highest industry standards in order to ensure that our kitchens and our team of Butlers in no way contribute to the spread of the virus. The last thing we want to see is the Western Cape being plunged back into Level 5 Lockdown after the enormous sacrifices that have been made already, by so many. We want to give our customers absolute peace of mind that when they order a pizza from us, they are getting the very best product produced with the very best protocols in place.”
Butler’s Pizza will send an SMS to customers to notify them when the ovens are fired up, informing them how to place orders via the new system.
Both delivery butlers and eager customers will need to observe strict social distancing contactless protocols too.
Make sure to subscribe at butlers.co.za to receive updates on when they will open and how to order.
