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I have been waiting to write this article.
On 3 July, I wrote about And Fries, the brilliant Mofolo South burger business founded by local creative and entrepreneur Lwazi Madonsela, after a driver crashed into its store and fled. Completely wrecking the store, this was the kind of thing that a big chain could have taken on the chin, but for a small-township business, it meant everyone was put on life support.
One thing about us South Africans is that when we get behind something, magic can happen.
A few days later, I went back. People had shared the story, tagged friends and companies, donated what they could and arrived hungry when the team began cooking from a food truck outside the damaged store. The first pop-up sold out. Staff worked between rubble and construction materials, handmade brioche buns were being filled again, and a business that had every reason to disappear refused to do so.
Now, the news we have all been waiting for: And Fries officially reopened on Sunday, 26 July.
There is something deeply moving about seeing those doors open again. And now, the real journey to what I have no doubt will be an amazing story begins.
Go to And Fries. Order the Aioli Burger, with crunchy fried chicken, cheese, creamy slaw, house pickles and signature aioli, packed into one of those soft handmade brioche buns. Try the Spicy Ranch Burger if you want hot honey, ranch and a little more chaos. Get the loaded fries. Arrive hungry.
Small businesses do not survive on applause. They survive on customers, so let's keep the momentum. Book them for catering, recommend them to friends and keep returning for their amazing food!
The food alone is worth it, but go because Lwazi and his team have built something Soweto can be proud of: a proudly local brand with enormous potential. Go because every order helps protect jobs, pay suppliers and turn an extraordinary comeback into a sustainable future.
We often speak about supporting township economies as though it is an abstract national project. Sometimes it is as simple as choosing where you buy lunch.
This journey began with a crash, but it does not have to be defined by one. The reopening is not the end of the story. It is the first page of what I hope will be a long, delicious and genuinely remarkable future for And Fries.
We helped get the doors open. Now, may they stay open for many years to come.
And Fries is open from 12pm to 8pm, Thursday to Monday. Follow @andfriessoweto on Instagram for updates, and, most importantly, go and support them.
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