A Table in the Corner
A Table in the Corner is the space where Russel Wasserfall chats to people in the food industry about their passion and their take on the business of eating. Russel has worked in the media and food space for over 3 decades. He's run bars, restaurants and a confectionery factory, written for dozens of food and travel publications and made a bunch of cookbooks. His show is about the nitty-gritty of the food trade in all its forms. Top chefs, food artisans, proprietors, bakers, farmers, foragers, cheesemakers, writers, photographers, bloggers... you name it. If they’re involved in the food industry, you will meet them with Russel at A Table in the Corner.
A Table in the Corner
S2-35. Taquerias & Tequila - Nic Haarhoff
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In this episode of A Table in the Corner, I sit down with restaurateur and entrepreneur Nic Haarhoff, best known as the founder of El Burro and the fun-and-funky trimmed down taquerias in Greenpont and Tamboerskloof. He’s an operator I admire, and predictably our chat soon digs deeper than tacos and tequila.
Nic reflects on the evolution of Cape Town’s restaurant scene over the past fifteen years, from the boom years of packed dining rooms and waiting lists to the far more complex trading environment operators face today. We talk about why he scaled down from a large, high-volume restaurant model to the smaller, more focused taquerias, and how simplicity, flexibility and controlling costs have become essential survival tools in modern hospitality.
Along the way, we explore some of the pressures reshaping the city’s food landscape: rising property costs, the impact of Airbnb on neighbourhood economies, seasonal tourism, restaurant oversupply and the challenge of staying afloat during increasingly difficult winters. Nic offers a thoughtful operator’s perspective on what has changed, what still works and where Cape Town may be heading.
We also discuss his parallel business, Groundswell Brands, which imports and distributes tequila, spirits and cocktail products, and how diversification beyond restaurants has become part of his long-term strategy.
This is an honest, practical conversation about hospitality, business and adaptation from someone who has spent almost two decades navigating Cape Town’s ever-changing restaurant landscape.
- www.rwm2012.com
- On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
- Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
- All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
- Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay