The following piece is written by Clay Cribbs.
When fútbol fans arrive at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this summer, they won’t just be stepping off a plane, they’ll be stepping into a city shaped by people and ideas from around the world, where even a simple bagel can carry a story from a neighborhood deli to destinations across the globe.
Atlanta has long been a place where international cultures, entrepreneurs, and businesses come together, building companies, communities, and connections that stretch far beyond the city’s borders. When the world arrives for the World Cup, as it did for the Olympic Games in 1996, visitors will experience that global spirit firsthand.
It will be the soul of Atlanta that puts our famous Southern hospitality on full display – the neighborhoods, the bars and pubs, and most importantly, the people who will make visitors from around the world feel right at home in the Deep South.
Amid that global energy, fans from one nation may even find a slice of home in an unexpected place: A Jewish deli.
For decades, Goldbergs Fine Foods has been a staple of Atlanta mornings. It is known for its bagels, long lines of loyal regulars, and the kind of neighborhood familiarity where customers feel like family. But behind the scenes, the company also shares a deep connection with one of the nations preparing to send fans to Atlanta this summer: South Africa.
Opened in 1972 by a father-and-son team, Goldberg and Son served Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood from a single location for more than twenty years.
When Wayne Saxe and Howard Aaron emigrated from South Africa to the United States in the early 1990s, they quickly fell in love with Atlanta.
But something still felt missing. They missed the comforting, authentic cooking of their Jewish grandmothers back in South Africa.
After searching for a taste of home, friends pointed them toward an unassuming deli on Roswell Road. The flavors were familiar, the food simple and authentic, and it sparked an idea.
With Saxe’s background in accounting and Aaron’s experience in food service, the two made a successful offer to purchase Goldbergs in 1992.
What they acquired was successful, but modest.
In their first week of ownership, Saxe and Aaron worked nearly 24 hours a day to improve the restaurant. They painted the walls, replaced ceiling tiles, and fixed floors themselves.
“We would open early in the morning, work our day, and when five o’clock came, that’s when the real work started,” said Aaron. “We were doing everything ourselves. We were running to Home Depot constantly, trying to make the place better.”
Those long days and nights paid off.
What started as a single restaurant on Roswell Road has grown into a network of locations across metro Atlanta, serving generations of loyal customers.
“We have families where the grandparents came in the early days, their kids grew up coming here, and now their grandchildren come,” Aaron said. “Sometimes you’ll see four or five generations sitting at one table.”
Moving to a new place, let alone a new country, can be a daunting experience. But for the team behind Goldbergs, Atlanta quickly began to feel familiar.
“Atlanta reminds us South Africans a lot of where we grew up,” said Stanley Fur, CFO of the Goldbergs Group. “The weather’s good, the people are friendly, and the atmosphere for business is very positive. We love Atlanta.”
For entrepreneurs like the Goldbergs team, the city offered something that made building a life and a business easier: a welcoming culture and a community where hard work is rewarded. Over time, that environment helped transform a single neighborhood deli into a company serving customers across metro Atlanta.
Today, the company employs more than 2,500 people and has expanded far beyond bagels into catering, food production, airline partnerships, and more.
But the connection between Atlanta and South Africa goes beyond opportunity and business growth.
Both places share a culture rooted in warmth, openness, and hospitality, something visitors arriving for the World Cup will likely notice right away.
“South Africans are brought up to respect each other and to welcome other people,” said Fur, who has been with the company since 2012. “When people meet South Africans, they always say the same thing: they’re really nice people.”
For South African fans traveling to Atlanta this summer, that shared spirit of hospitality may make the city feel a little more like home.
Goldberg’s influence now stretches far beyond its dining rooms—it climbs to 30,000 feet. One of the most surprising chapters of that growth began because of Atlanta’s position as a global crossroads.
With Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport serving as the world’s busiest airport and a hub for millions of travelers each year, local businesses often find themselves connected to opportunities far beyond the city limits. For Goldbergs, that meant what started as a neighborhood deli eventually found its way into airport terminals, lounges, and flights departing for destinations across the world. As the company expanded its food production and catering capabilities, its products became part of the travel experience for passengers passing through Atlanta, many of them unknowingly getting a taste of the city before even leaving the ground.
“It’s quite amazing to think that food made here is going to all corners of the world,” said Aaron. “If you had told me 30 years ago that our food would be traveling across the globe, I would have said you’re crazy.”
That kind of opportunity is part of what makes Atlanta unique. With the world’s busiest airport at its disposal, this region gives local businesses a rare chance to grow beyond their neighborhoods and into markets around the globe.
As the World Cup approaches, Atlanta businesses are preparing for an influx of visitors from across the globe.
For the Goldbergs team, it’s an opportunity to extend the same hospitality that has defined their business for decades — while welcoming fans from the country where their own story began.
The FIFA World Cup 2026™ – Canada, Mexico and the United States arriving in Atlanta feels a little like a homecoming.
“We’re really excited that our city was selected to host the World Cup,” said Fur. “And we’re really looking forward to hosting everyone who comes to Atlanta.”
As for how far South Africa might go in the tournament?
“Well, the South African national team, it’s not very often that they get through to the World Cup. So for us, this was absolutely amazing,” said Fur. “So we feel very strongly that we should make it right through to the end and probably win it,” he joked with a smile.
No matter the outcome on the pitch, Goldberg’s has a simple message for fans arriving in Atlanta: Welcome. Because in a city built on connection, community, and hospitality, there’s always room for one more at the table.
