By Tamlyn Canham
Scores of people turned up at Maps Maponyane’s Buns Out restaurant in Linden after a social media post revealed they were hiring.
The restaurant was looking for chefs, waiters, and bar attendants. Quickfire interviews were held at the popular burger joint on Thursday.
A social media user shared a picture that showed dozens of people lining up for a chance at employment.
“Level of unemployment in this country, @MapsMaponyane you made a [difference] today, even if you hired two people,” Twitter user @onkarabile_mora wrote.
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https://twitter.com/onkarabile_mora/status/1433377903413284864
A local chef revealed that he waited in line from 7am.
“I was part of this crowd, stood there from 7am. I still wasn’t interviewed due to all the chaos… it’s really sad,” he wrote.
I was part of this crowd, stood there from 7am 😪 I still wasn’t interviewed due to all the chaos .. it’s really sad 💔
— DON CHEFIOULIS 👨🏾🍳🔪 (@ill_thechef) September 2, 2021
One woman said it was sad to see how many people are desperately looking for a job.
“Imagine how many people are in that queue already losing hope because of the number of people that came through? South Africa is in the dumps.”
I’m praying for everyone job hunting💔💔
— mamncane (@Kim_Khandashisa) September 2, 2021
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Buns Out Success
Maps launched the Linden branch of Buns Out in 2019. American publication, Bloomberg, named Buns Out one of the best burger joints in the world in 2020.
Following the success of his first restaurant, Maps opened two more branches in Norwood and Rosebank.
Maps opened the Norwood restaurant in May 2021.
“When the pandemic started we weren’t sure if were going to be able to keep our doors open, but somehow we’ve managed to open 2 new locations & you’re going to love our latest. Thank you for keeping us in business,” he tweeted.
Well done, I wish @sindivanzyl was here 😇 pic.twitter.com/VEuvEbADzz
— Tshifhiwa (NomaHoliday) (@Ms_Fanta70) May 1, 2021
One month later, Maps was forced to close down his Rosebank branch due to lockdown restrictions.
“We felt it necessary to focus on the survival of our Linden and Norwood branches.”
The current conditions have just made it too challenging. We Tried. This isn't the end of the road.❤ https://t.co/MArnpJHEVh
— Maps Maponyane (@MapsMaponyane) July 13, 2021
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Main image credit: Instagram/Maps Maponyane



