when I first Wrote about And Fries, the future seemed extremely uncertain.
A driver had hit and run off its Mofolo South store, causing serious damage to a young township business and leaving several people facing repair bills.
It doesn't have to be a giant franchise with a legal department, a national maintenance team and enough money to weather a few tough months. it's a matter of pride sowetan The business was built carefully, creatively, brick by brick, by Lwazi Madonsela and his team.
I asked for help from South Africa.
And South Africa did.
The story we shared reached far beyond those who already knew End Fries. Thousands of people shared it, liked it, commented, tagged companies and, most importantly, donated real money.
We have all seen stories going viral. We look, feel something, leave a heart emoji and move on to the next thing. This time people opened their banking apps. They sent whatever they could. He showed a young entrepreneur that the country has not forgotten him.
The support gave Lawazi and his team more than just money. This gave them momentum and the will to move forward.
Rather than wait for the entire store to be repaired, they moved a food truck and created a pop-up outside the damaged premises. The first one was sold.
Friends reached DJ. Crews returned to work amidst debris, repairs and construction materials. Burgers were being assembled just meters away from the physical evidence of what had happened.
I went back for the next pop-up because I had to see it for myself.
There were young South Africans moving purposefully, taking orders, frying, packing food and making brioche buns by hand. Behind them, reconstruction continued. In front of them, customers were coming to spend their money and support a local business.
It didn't feel like a fundraiser pretending to be a restaurant.
It seemed as if a restaurant was refusing to disappear.
And the food is still excellent
The menu is small, focused, and filled with the kind of food that made End Fries worth fighting for in the first place.
The Aioli Burger comes on that soft, buttery, handmade brioche bun with deeply seasoned fried chicken, cheese, creamy coleslaw, house pickles and the signature aioli. The chicken still has the proper amount of crispness when you bite into it, while the lettuce and pickles bring enough freshness and acidity to keep the whole thing from getting too heavy.
For a little more heat, the Spicy Ranch Burger brings together hot-honey fried chicken, cheese, iceberg lettuce, pickles and ranch sauce. It's sweet, spicy, creamy, and messy exactly the way a fried chicken burger should be.
Then there's the Mac and Cheese Burger: sticky Asian-dipped chicken, macaroni and cheese and purple cabbage, all packed into a brioche bun and served with fries. It is excessive, ambitious and completely unattainable.
This is bigger than just renovating a shop
I had the opportunity to speak properly with Lavazie during the pop-up.
He is smart, active, astute and remarkably aware of the reality around him. He does not consider entrepreneurship as romantic. He understands the pressures of employing people, paying suppliers, managing costs, and trying to create something excellent in an environment that can be unforgiving for small businesses.
He is also a passionate creative person.
He doesn't just want to reopen takeaways. He wants to create a proud Sowetan brand that can compete anywhere. He wants to create jobs, contribute to the local economy and show what is possible when township businesses are given a real opportunity to grow.
That ambition was visible everywhere.
It was in the packaging, the food trucks, the handmade buns, the employees working during the disruption and the people choosing to spend their Saturday supporting the business.
But this story is not over.
As the team began to understand the true extent of the work required, it became clear that the amount needed to rebuild was even greater than initially realized.
The first wave of support has helped a lot. This gave them the ability to move on, trade and start over.
It hasn't finished the job.
now is not the time to move on
Internet runs fast.
A story trends, people care deeply about it for a few days, and then another story takes its place. But the cost of repair doesn't end when videos stop appearing on people's feeds.
This is not the time to take the foot off the gas. This is a moment to try harder and prove that South Africans can do more than just create a beautiful viral moment. We can help turn that moment into a permanently open business again.
Buy a burger at the next pop-up. Book & Fries for catering operations. Keep sharing the story. Donate what you can.
Companies that can offer construction materials, equipment, labor, repairs, signage or practical business assistance should be included. And businesses looking to cater should consider putting the real work in the hands of this team.
We often say that we want township economies to grow.
Here's a township business with a great product, an ambitious founder, committed staff, loyal customers and a determination to keep cooking in the middle of a construction site.
It doesn't need any other motivational quotes.
It needs customers, capital and practical support.
South Africa has already done something incredible. People saw a young business in crisis and decided it mattered.
Now we need to do something even more important: stay tuned.
I went back to find out if Asha had survived the accident. It was. It was sizzling in hot oil, placed on hand-made brioche and handed out to customers next to a construction site.
But hope alone and fries won't be rebuilt.
Let's finish the work.
And how to support the fries
Capitec Bank
account name: endfreeze
Account Type: entrepreneur account
Account Number: 2518230137
Branch Code: 470010
Donors must confirm recipient details before completing payment.
This article highlights a local business facing significant challenges and includes information on how readers can assist in its recovery. Any donation or purchase is completely voluntary. Time Out South Africa is not affiliated with, does not manage, and receives no financial benefit from the fundraising initiative.
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