Spur Steak Ranches
Spur Corporation (doing business as Spur Steak Ranches) (JSE: SUR) is a steakhouse franchise restaurant chain originating from South Africa with a focus on family dining. The head office of Spur Corporation is situated in Century City, Cape Town. Although the founding and flagship brand is the Spur steakhouse restaurants, the company owns a number of other, predominantly South African, restaurant brands. Despite its South African origin, Spur restaurants use Native American themes extensively, both in its marketing and decor. The restaurant brands itself as "the official restaurant of the South African family"; as such, most Spur restaurants include a children's play area.
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| Spur Corporation | |
| Type | Public (JSE: SUR) Franchise |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Casual dining |
| Founded | 1967, South Africa |
| Founder | Allen Ambor |
| Headquarters | Century City, Cape Town, South Africa |
Number of locations | 513 (South Africa) 62 (international)[1] |
Key people | Allen Ambor (Executive Chairman) Pierre van Tonder (CEO) Kevin Robertson (CFO) |
| Products | North American cuisine |
| Revenue |  R667.19 Million (FY 2018)[1] |
| R200 Million (FY 2018)[1] | |
| R195.57 Million (FY 2018)[1] | |
| Subsidiaries | Panarotti’s John Dory's Fish & Grill The Hussar Grill RocoMamas NIkos Casa Bella |
| Website | www www |
History and growth
In 1967 founder and executive chairman, Allen Ambor, opened the Golden Spur on Dean Street in Newlands, Cape Town in South Africa. Ambor started the first restaurant with R2000 of his own money, R4000 from his father and an additional R5000 from a partner who was eventually bought out; amounting to a total starting capital of R11,000 (roughly equivalent to R920,000 in 2020 when adjust for inflation).[2] The restaurant was opened on the 24 October 1967.[2] The original restaurant moved to a new location at the corner of Dean and Main Road in the 2000s and closed in 2020.[3]
A second Spur, the Seven Spur, was opened in Sea Point, Cape Town soon after the 1967 opening. After the success of the second Spur Ambor decided on a franchise model facilitate the spread of the restaurants across the country.[2]
The Spur Group consists of Spur International, Spur Steak Ranches, Panarottis Pizza Pasta, John Dory’s Fish Grill Sushi, The Hussar Grill, RocoMamas, Spur Grill & Go and Casa Bella. It currently has 569 outlets worldwide, with restaurants in various parts of Africa, Mauritius, the Middle East and Australasia. In March 2018, Spur Corporation sold Captain Dorego.[1]
| Brand | Number of outlets in 2018[1] |
|---|---|
| Spur Steak Ranches | 333 |
| Panarottis Pizza Pasta | 84 |
| John Dory's Fish & Grill | 49 |
| Captain DoRegos* | 18 |
| The Hussar Grill | 17 |
| Rocomamas | 65 |
| Casa Bella | 20 |
| Nikos | 8 |
Operations
Spur Steak Ranches is a subsidiary of Spur Corporation, one of the largest restaurant companies in South Africa.
It has its headquarters in Century City, Cape Town, with regional offices in Johannesburg and Durban as well as an International Office in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, supporting the company’s international operations.
Spur Steak Ranches’ contribution to Spur Corporation’s restaurant turnover is 61%.
Restaurants are owned by franchisees or directly by the company. As of 31 December 2018, Spur Steak Ranches had 323 stores located in 15 countries. The total restaurants in South Africa is 284 with 39 in other countries.
Africa and Mauritius
- Botswana
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Namibia
- Nigeria
- South Africa
- Swaziland
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Mauritius
Australasia
- Australia
- New Zealand
In 2020, the chain was forced to temporarily close all of restaurants amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.[4]
Products
Spur Steak Ranches’ core product offering is steaks, ribs and burgers. In addition to these, the brand also sells chicken, schnitzels, seafood, wraps and sandwiches, salads, desserts, breakfasts and a dedicated children’s menu. The burgers have four options: beef, chicken, soya and rib. Furthermore, there are many plant based options available including the Beyond Burger.
Spur Steak Ranches also sells food to take away, delivering in some locations.
Procurement, manufacturing and distribution
Spur Steak Ranches operates a sauce manufacturing facility that supplies franchisees with the brand’s sauces. Its sauces and marinades are also retailed in major South African retailers.
Certain products, which are externally manufactured under licence, are sold directly to consumers in major South African retailers such as frozen ribs and burger patties.
Panarotti's Pizza Pasta
The company also owns the Panarotti’s pizza and pasta restaurant chain. This chain was started in 1990[5] and has 84 outlets.[6] In addition, the Spur Group purchased a 60% shareholding in John Dory’s Fish and Grill in 2004.[5] John Dory's is a KwaZulu-Natal-based franchise with 54 outlets.
Controversy
In March 2017, a racially charged incident occurred between two customers in a South African Spur Steak Ranch restaurant when a black African family got into an expletive-filled argument with a white Afrikaner family, after the black child reportedly hit the white child. The restaurant banned the white family, but not the black family.[7] White Afrikaners criticized and ultimately boycotted the restaurant, which was staffed by black Africans, for siding with the black family, as well as for not doing more to break up the fight.The restaurant chain also received criticism for its slow official response, which was judged inadequate.[8]
See also
References
- "Integrated Annual Report 2018" (PDF). Spur Corporation. 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- "From Small Beginnings To Big Brands - A taste for life - Spur - Wattpad". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- Viljoen @nettalieviljoen, Nettalie. "End of a Golden era". News24. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- "Paper menus and no pouring of drinks: Here's how Ocean Basket restaurants will change". BusinessInsider. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- New Tourism Ventures: An Entrepreneurial and Managerial Approach. p. 77.
- "Top 20 fast food franchises that make the most money in South Africa". businesstech.co.za. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- Khoza, Leeto M. (March 2017). "[WATCH] Heated confrontation at Spur sparks outrage". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- "Spur struggling as hangover for racist social media storm continues to bite". www.timeslive.co.za. Retrieved 2 March 2019.