Brazen Move Into Pub Scene
IN the late nineties there was a lot of froth blowing around the pub ‘n grub industry. One of the big movers and shakers was entrepreneur Basil O’Hagan, who tested the limits with a forecast that his fast growing O’Hagan’s pub chain could top 150 outlets by 2001.
Unfortunately by 2001 O’Hagan’s – which was formidable enough to be listed on the JSE – was suffering from a debilitating debt hangover caused by an expansion binge (which included shifts into other branded restaurants like Baron’s).
The group was placed into liquidation, and O’Hagan – who at one stage held a net worth of over R100 million – was shuffled off the JSE with barely enough to buy a round of Guinness.
But it seems O’Hagan – who must have learnt some harsh lessons about gearing up a fast growing business in late nineties – has quietly been re-establishing himself on the pub grub scene (see our separate report on the latest developments at Kingco below).
CBN was rather surprised to see an advertisement for Irish Restaurant and Pubs under the banner ‘Let’s get ready for World Cup 2010’.
The Irish themed franchise pubs are marketed under the ‘Brazen Head’ brand, which CBN has established is the brainchild of none other than Basil O’Hagan.
Brazen Head franchisees (and investors) are being sought to open pubs all over the greater Cape Town area -Brackenfell, Claremont, Constantia, City Bowl, Durbanville, Fish Hoek, Gordon’s Bay, Hout Bay, Kenilworth, Lakeside, Milnerton, Newlands, Plattekloof, Rondebosch, Somerset West, Strand, Tableview/Blaauwberg, The Foreshore, Tygervalley, George, Knysna, Hermanus and Paarl.
That’s a helluva big spread, and would – if the Brazen Head website is up-to-date – more than double the franchisee base. The website shows the Brazen Head has mainly a presence in Gauteng with outlets in Boksburg, Montana, Sandton, Witbank, Willows, Nelspruit, Fourways, Florida Glens, Edenvale, Centurion and Bryanston.
