OHBrigado ~ taking entertainment to another level
Olwethu Hoyana, better known as Ollie, has got East London talking. And not in a bad way.
He is the owner of OH!Concepts, a brand which lends its name to OH!Mi Cocktail Bistro in Berea, two OH! Yum fast food outlets – one in Vincent and the other in the CBD’s Caxton Street – and, most recently, OHBrigado Champagne Bar in Beacon Bay. And let me tell you, Ollie has worked hard to reach the point where he’s at now. He has been in the entertainment industry for just over 20 years and he has succeeded because he persevered. He has learnt from his mistakes, his successes, and indeed, is still learning every day.
A humble man who speaks of his family as much as his business, Ollie is instantly likeable and exudes a warmth that draws people to him. Born in Mthatha, his father was a school principal and so Ollie and the family moved with him: to Alice, Bhisho and finally to East London.
At the young age of 19, Ollie began his career as an entrepreneur and opened his very first club, Wrap Around (located in Vincent). Unfortunately the club didn’t work out as he had hoped and he headed for the bright lights and big city vibe of Johannesburg at the age of 21, working various jobs including a Marketing Manager position for Metro FM.
Before Ollie left Johannesburg, he registered OH!Concepts as a business and, upon his return to East London in 2010 and at the age of 34, he opened the Talamanca Lounge. 2012 saw the opening of OH!Mi Cocktail Bistro in Berea, the success of which has been tremendous. The two OH!Yum fast food outlets – famous for their African home-grown traditional chicken – followed, and then the end of last year saw the official launch of OHBrigado Champagne Bar.
It was always Ollie’s dream to open a venue where people feel at home, a place they can go to and feel totally at ease. He explains the importance of having a venue where, no matter where a person is at in their personal life – whether they are celebrating a job promotion or, in contrast, they are going through some hard times – that the environment works on all levels, that all emotions and occasions can intertwine comfortably. With OH!Mi Cocktail Bistro, he has achieved this and more. And with OHBrigado – a play on the Portuguese word for ‘thank you’ and a message to all patrons – things are most definitely looking promising. Both venues encompass good ambiance, good music and good company and are two of East London’s hottest places to be.
We visited OHBrigado recently and were blown away by the venue: it is a stunning bar located above RocoMama’s in Beacon Bay Crossing and has views to die for. The interior is classy, but minimalist, and Ollie has proved that you don’t have to go overboard with too much detail to make it work. Featuring low couches, chaise longues and ottomans, the key word here is comfort – you feel like you could be at the home of a (very wealthy!) friend, such is the ambiance at OHBrigado. Aside from the sprawling comfort of the seating, the venue features a DJ area and, of course, a fully-stocked, very attractive bar. What more does a successful bar need? Not much else to be honest, Ollie has hit the nail on the head here. And the patrons are flocking to OHBrigado, curious about this new champagne bar that has everybody talking, and trust me, they are not disappointed by what they find.
OH!Mi Cocktail Bistro and OHBrigado Champagne Bar offer menus for both the peckish and the ravenous. At the Bistro they offer traditional home-cooked African food including sheep’s head, samp and beans etc, as well as a typical South African mixed menu, while the Champagne Bar offers a small menu which features gourmet sandwiches and also offers you the opportunity to ‘build a braai’.
Ollie is looking at growing OHBrigado and introducing new things along the way – as a successful entrepreneur, he is open to ideas and concepts but after over 20 years in the entertainment industry and as a keen observer, he generally knows what works and what doesn’t.
An example of what works is the OHBrigado Corporate Live Sessions, held every Thursday evening, where you can enjoy Cocktail specials and music from various live bands. These events also double up as perfect networking opportunities, something that is key in today’s business world. Every so often, you will also be treated to music from nationally and internationally-acclaimed DJ’s, events that are always popular and guaranteed to draw crowds from far and wide.
I think it is safe to say that Ollie has achieved what he had in mind all along – he always wanted to create a space where people could go and simply be happy, a place that would make them smile. I believe he has achieved over and above this with not one but two successful establishments, venues that are undoubtedly going to exceed our expectations.
OHBrigado is also available to hire for private functions, tailor-made down to the very last detail. For further information and to read more about OH!Concepts, please click here.