{"id":846170,"date":"2025-12-12T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=846170"},"modified":"2025-12-12T12:29:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T10:29:47","slug":"well-known-south-african-fast-food-restaurants-launch-overseas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/846170\/well-known-south-african-fast-food-restaurants-launch-overseas\/","title":{"rendered":"Well-known South African fast food restaurants launch overseas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Famous Brands is taking a major step into Southeast Asia with the launch of Steers and Debonairs Pizza outlets in Malaysia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to BizNews, Terry Boardman, managing executive for the group\u2019s quick service restaurant (QSR) division, said<\/a> the group is introducing its restaurants to Malaysia through a partnership with local operator Mesra.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are going in with Steers and Debonairs Pizza into the Malaysian market, with a great partner in Mesra,\u201d Boardman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve got lots of experience with retail and they\u2019re linked to the Petronas Group, so they have lots of real estate across the Malaysian landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The connection with Mesra came through their previous involvement with Engen in South Africa. \u201cThat\u2019s how we linked up with them,\u201d Boardman explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boardman noted that Mesra is no longer involved with Engen, but the introduction happened then and it\u2019s flowed from there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great opportunity to get in with somebody that\u2019s done a very good job of growing retail, especially with their Mesra Caf\u00e9s across fuel sites in Malaysia,\u201d Boardman added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first combined Steers and Debonairs outlet has already opened. the first location opened in Bangi, outside Kuala Lumpur. It is situated in a petro station, but separately from the convenience store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the fuel network offers quick expansion potential, Boardman noted that the partnership also includes opportunities outside petrol stations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMesra are trying to expand outside petroleum as well. It\u2019s really a retail arm for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boardman explained that the group\u2019s failed UK investment in Gourmet Burger Kitchen shaped this more cautious, partnership-based approach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to choose someone that understands the market and has resources on the ground.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that Malaysia is a natural fit. It\u2019s an established market in a growth phase, and the family dynamics are similar to the South African market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re entering the market confidently but cautiously. It\u2019s not about rolling out hundreds of stores. It\u2019s about choosing locations that make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South African market remains challenging <\/h2>\n\n\n
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Launch of Steers and Debonairs Pizza in Malaysia<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

One of the main reasons Mesra selected Famous Brands was its halal capability. \u201cWe have a very strong halal component in our menu,\u201d Boardman explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Malaysian market is nearly 70% Muslim, so halal is a key requirement. Our experience and supply chain were a key determining factor for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To launch the stores, Famous Brands used a mix of imported and local products. It brought in some licensed products from South Africa, but the idea is to grow local manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe imported more at the start, but down the line it\u2019s about producing locally as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that the menu is familiar to the one in South Africa, but has small adjustments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFunny enough, the tastes aren\u2019t very different. We\u2019ve made small changes\u2014like offering rice instead of pap\u2014but otherwise the menus are very similar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steers and Debonairs were chosen because they matched consumer demand. Mesra were looking for a burger brand, and Debonairs Pizza also had a good fit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The frequency of eating out is high in Malaysia. There\u2019s strong demand for both pizza and burgers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boardman said partnerships like this are central to Famous Brands\u2019 growth model. \u201cWe are a strong franchising company, and this is what we do well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expansion to other countries will be selective. \u201cIt\u2019s about going deep and narrow with selective markets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In South Africa, Boardman noted that conditions are still tough but slowly improving. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely a little bit of relief, but the consumer remains under pressure,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBrand loyalty has shifted, and you\u2019ve got to fight hard for it. There are pockets of green shoots, but we need momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food delivery, however, continues to grow. \u201cConsumers want convenience, and that\u2019s one way to get it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he stressed that convenience comes in many forms. \u201cDrive-throughs, being close to consumers, home delivery \u2013 it\u2019s a combination of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On delivery partnerships, Boardman said Famous Brands works with major players but stays open-minded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are aligned with Uber Eats and Mr D, but we have an open-door policy. We\u2019ll look at any partnership that makes strategic sense and is sustainable for us and our franchisees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Famous Brands is taking a major step into Southeast Asia with the launch of Steers and Debonairs Pizza outlets in Malaysia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":846188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[18849,23653,10789,853,9812],"class_list":["post-846170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-biznews","tag-debonairs-pizza","tag-famous-brands","tag-south-africa","tag-steers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=846170"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":846224,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846170\/revisions\/846224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/846188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=846170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=846170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=846170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}