By Francis Quamina Farrier

LAST Saturday, I was in Brooklyn, New York, and one of the special sights for me was the quantum leap of an iconic Guyanese business enterprise, German’s Soup Restaurant. The doors were not opened to the public as yet, but this weekend the official opening events- which included celebrations advanced with Prayers and Thanksgiving- was held.
There, at the corner of Utica Avenue and Linden Boulevard, in the heart of Brooklyn, New York, is this brand new “GERMAN’S SOUP” Restaurant, a branch of the popular “GERMAN’S” which is located in Tiger Bay, Georgetown.

GERMAN’S SOUP RESTAURANT is a story of two generations of Guyanese – Hubert Urling and his second son, Clinton Urling. The story of the famous Soup Restaurant began in the 20th Century and is now continuing to develop in the 21st Century from one continent (South America) to another (North America).

The story of German’s Soup commenced in 1960, when Hubert established the first restaurant in Georgetown. The story behind the name “German’s” is somewhat uncertain. It could even be classified as “folklore”. Hubert was known to have had a deep liking for the powerful and popular German trucks which were famous (or rather, infamous) for their regular crashes when they ruled the roads of British Guiana in the early 1960s. There was hardly a week when a German truck did not crash and, in some instances, involved a loss of life.

There is another story about the name “German’s”: it has been established that Hubert loved the war movies, especially those which showed the Germans being beaten by the Allied Forces; something which Hubert found an exciting topic for regular discussion.
It must be recalled that many persons from British Guiana served in the two World Wars. Whatever might have been the real reason, Hubert Urling gave the name “German’s” to his soup restaurant, which has in no way been defeated. In fact, “German’s” became a household name in Guyana over the decades. The soup, which gained iconic status, was regarded by many soup lovers as being “simply delicious and mouth-watering”.
Of course, the name of the restaurant was not the real reason for its success over the decades. It was the quality of the soup, as well as the quality of the service. Whatever the ingredients used over the years, German’s Soup became very popular with both Guyanese and visitors alike.

In an interview with the 38-year-old Clinton in Brooklyn last week, he told me that his father had set that high standard of the soup and that the customers over the decades, including Guyanese from all walks of life. The demand for German’s Soup became so great at the Tiger Bay location, that a branch was established on Robb Street, Georgetown.
After his father died in 1999, the younger Urling focused primarily on the Tiger Bay location. The Robb location was closed in 2005 and a new and attractive structure was constructed that very year at the Tiger Bay location. However, Clinton ensured that there was a proper photograph of that founding building, which he has displayed at both the Tiger Bay and Brooklyn locations.

That, in itself, was not the reason for its popularity; it was the quality of the soup which attracted customers in their numbers. “The standard of service has also played a part in keeping customers coming back again and again,” said Clinton. With a love of history and a passion for design, the walls of the restaurant in Tiger Bay are decorated with photographs of the previous building and large portraits of celebrities. However, Clinton ensures that those in dire need in the Tiger Bay area in Georgetown, and beyond, especially the children, receive some complementary German’s soup daily.

Hubert Urling passed on the baton of “German’s Soup” to his young son after running a great lap of a race around the German’s Soup Restaurant. His son, who recently graduated with a Master’s Degree in Sports Management from the prestigious Columbia University in New York, is so far, running a great “German Soup” race.