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Mabuza opened Signature restaurant in Morningside Shopping Centre 15 years ago when the global financial crisis of 2009 would’ve scared most restaurateurs off. “People were saying: ‘Who is this guy? He’s nuts. Nobody wants to do anything or start anything new, and here he is opening a restaurant.’ But I knew it was only going to be temporary. Bad times don’t last forever; tough people do,” Mabuza recalls.
From the beginning, Mabuza knew he wanted to do something different. While most other restaurateurs were gunning for spots along the front of the mall’s entrance with views of the parking lot, he wanted something that spoke more to a destination venue. It was the view from the back of the centre framed by floor-to-ceiling windows that sealed the deal for him, and so Signature was born. Signature is a Sandton restaurant that has done what very few have been able to. Not only has it survived the tempests that have been the undoing of many a restaurant in this city; it has thrived.
Known for their fine-dining lunch and dinner menus and wine lists that impress even the most difficult-to-please connoisseurs, the idea was always to create something that stands out: “It’s a mixture of good food, outstanding ambience, great service, and tasteful music, all under one roof. It’s unique,” Mabuza says. “A good product will survive all storms.”
Back to his recipe for success and the keyword Mabuza keeps returning to. “If I’m going to have any dish on the menu, and I come back a month later and it tastes differently, I’ll be disappointed. It’s not what I signed up for. What we managed to get right is that people’s experiences are the same, if not better than the first time, every single time they come here.”
A big reason for this has been a low staff turnover and an investment in the people who work for him. Our chat came a few days after their 15-year celebrations in the Signature cigar lounge, around the time the staff started reporting for duty on the day. At first, we thought the first person making their way to the kitchen was one of those extra-friendly types as he gave Mabuza a fist bump. But then it became apparent that every person clocking in gives Mabuza this personal greeting.
“That’s the kind of culture we have. And every evening at around 17:00, we have a debrief session, every day, without fail. If I’m in Durban, I do it there, and management handles it this side. That’s something really important.”
Signature opened in Umhlanga in KwaZulu-Natal last year and from the sound of things, Mabuza has no plans to slow down, with a new potential location on the cards.
“Between my two restaurants, I have 150 people under my employ. It’s been nothing but determination, passion, and loving my craft. I live it. I’m [present] every single day between the two restaurants. If I’m not here, I’m down there, flying in, flying out.”
Of course, it hasn’t always been easy, and the biggest challenge Mabuza has had to navigate was lockdown and the devastating impact this had on the hospitality industry.
He found himself paying staff out of his own pocket during those initial months, and soon, Signature joined The Restaurant Collective in calling for sit-down restaurants to be opened again. Getting the doors open was the first part of it; operating under continued restrictions continued to take its toll. “You can’t have langoustines with orange juice,” says Mabuza, bringing to mind the insanity of those hard months.
It seems like a chapter out of a long-lost dystopian novel now, as the reason for our visit coincided with the launch of Signature’s new wine label, which Mabuza says is the latest extension of the Signature brand.
The Signature team has partnered with a wine estate in the Swartland to produce what we can simply describe as exquisite blends that put a different spin on “house wines”. The white is a blend of Chenin Blanc, Marsanne, Viognier, and Harslevelü – a rare varietal you won’t often find on a restaurant table. It has that melt-in-your-mouth quality that is only found in some of the finest whites, while the red is an undoubtedly full-bodied version with legs that will get you talking, driven by Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Carignan.
As much as no one likes to admit they have a favourite child, everyone seems to. For sommelier Mxolisi Mahatshia, it’s the red; for Mabuza, it’s the white. Our personal choice, too.
Covid-19 may have delayed the initial plans to launch the Signature wine range but, poetically, doing so to coincide with 15 years in the business seems like a sweet triumph. And if it means a toast to consistency, longevity, and long meals over good glasses of wine, we’ll raise our glasses by saying: “Cheers to 15 years!” It’s an achievement worth celebrating in this city of ours.
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