Kitcheners was officially reopened yesterday in a lively launch attended by media and sports personalities.
One of the things that stood out when Kicheners bar in Braamfontein was closed down was the fond memories people have of Joburg’s second oldest bar.
After nearly a year, Kitcheners officially reopened on Thursday in a lively launch attended by media and sports personalities. Fond memories of the bar were as ubiquitous as they were when its closing was announced last year.
“Due to economic circumstances, the team behind Kitcheners will be moving on after 15 years of steering this ship through the choppy waters, which is Joburg life,” the pub said in a statement announcing its closure.
Found in 1902, Kitchener’s Carvery Bar was located next to Jimmy’s Inn, which together formed what was known as Milner Park Hotel.
The bar is said to be named after Lord Kitchener, who used the venue in 1902 to sign the treaty ending the Anglo-Boer War.
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Kitcheners memories
Comedian Jason Goliath and fellow comic Donavan Goliath hosted the launch.
The comedian, who also works full-time as an emcee at corporate gigs, said Kitcherners was the place where people came to end their night after other prior entertainment engagements.
“You never left home to come to Kitchener. You went to a party, and when all other parties ended, we would converge on Kitcheners,” Goliath told The Citizen.
He reminisces about the stories he’d shared with other Kitchener patrons about where they had been earlier.
“Now we’re all standing at this party, telling you about the party you had and how it happened. My other favourite memory about Kitcheners is that my sister met her husband here, literally drunk at three in the morning,” he shared.
Goliath’s first thought when the news of Kitcheners’ closing broke out was that this was a desperate sign of our times.
“When an establishment that opened more than 100 years ago closes in what feels like overnight because there’s no one that I know that knows Kitcheners to be empty or Kitcheners to be struggling.
“What I love is, if you’re a Joburger and you’ve ever come to Braam, Kitcheners is gonna be part of your culture,” said the comedian.
Kitcheners was officially opened on Thursday, but the bar has been unofficially operating since November of last year.
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Decision to reopen
Development entity Play Braam owns multiple buildings around the Braamfontein precinct, including Kitcheners Bar.
Play Braam bought the property while Kitcherners was managed by the proprietor who had occupied it for at least 15 years, according to Play Braam’s Head of Hospitality, Development and Growth, Marcel Cronje.
Play Braam could’ve done whatever they wanted with the space, but they opted to revive the more than century-old bar.
“We know that people love this place. I started my career as a manager of Great Dane 10 or 12 years ago and see the joy this place brings to people,” averred Cronje.
“This space meant so much to people. We wanted to honour that legacy. We wanted to put some love into one of the oldest bars in Joburg.”
The new launch was done in partnership with Castle Lager. The beer brand will mark 130 years of existence this year and is also partnered with the newly launched Kitcheners.
“They assist us in creating the space and creating an experience for people,” said Cronje.
Bar a few changes to the lavatories and some decorations just to jazz things up; it remains the same old Kitcheners with its velvet walls, hard wooden floor, and unchanged hip dinginess.
Cronje said they didn’t want to change too much, including programs such as the weekly comedy nights.
“The comedy nights at Kitcheners were perfect for low-pressure new material, which is something we don’t have much of in the country. So as a comedian, Kitcheners was a cornerstone,” said Goliath.
“From February, every Wednesday, we’ll have comedy nights. We wanted to continue creating a platform for young comics,” Cronje said.
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