Bar Management
A hale and hearty fellow to help you stock your bar
‘Craft’ is the new buzzword in beverages, from craft gins, beers and rums to craft mixers and sodas. South African drinkers have caught on to this trend in a big way. It’s no longer unusual for diners to quiz their waitrons on what craft beers they serve or to request specific craft gins when ordering a gin and tonic. Full Service managed to catch up with the busy CEO of Norman Goodfellows, Charles Kramer to get some exclusive insights into new alcohol trends, find out what the next big craft movement in South Africa will be and understand exactly how restaurants can benefit from working closely with the company.
W
ith outlets in Johannesburg, Cape and asked for just one shop back to be run by him. Town and Durban that can service all Kramer says: ‘At the time the Illovo store was the areas of South Africa, Norman Goodfellows worst performing in the group so my father asked is the ideal alcoholic beverage partner for the for it knowing he would not be turned down.’ restaurant industry. However, the Kramer family were not allowed to Johannesburg natives may remember the Solly use the Solly Kramer name as it was part of the Kramer stores of the 1950s and 60s. The brand original acquisition. Racking their brains for a became synonymous with good neighbourly name that would embody the joviality, friendliness values, excellent service and attention and warmth of their brand they eventually decided to detail, which was why a large on the name Norman Goodfellows. alcohol manufacturer eventually offered to buy the brand. After NORMAN GOODFELLOWS IS BORN years of being the director of the The Goodfellow part of the name comes from Solly Kramer’s brand, which had by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream where now turned into to a large Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, corporation Charles was a hale and hearty sprite with Kramer’s father, a penchant for beer and other Norman decided he spirits. The Norman part wanted to go back to comes simply from Kramer’s The Norman Goodfellows the original idea of father, the founder of the brand was partly named his father, Solly’s shops brand. Kramer’s mother
DID YOU KNOW?
after the character of Robin Goodfellow (also known as Puck) in the William Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
22
August 2018 | Full Serv ce
designed the logo herself. The very first Norman Goodfellows store opened its doors in Illovo in December 1976, just in time for the festive season. The brand soon established itself as a customercentric entity with extremely quick turnaround times. Kramer recalls that customers would phone in for their ‘household liquor’ and his dad would keep them on the phone taking their order and then laughing and joking with them while the store’s delivery man would jump on his bike and deliver the order before the customer had even hung up the telephone. The brand made its name in supplying individuals with excellent service. Today it has expanded its business and is quickly making a name for itself as the go to alcoholic beverage partner for the restaurant and catering industry. Building on its existing delivery services, Norman Goodfellows upsized its offering to provide wholesale delivery to restaurants. Kramer believes the company’s differentiating factor is its
