Well-known take-away pizza brand opening new branches across South Africa
Debonairs Pizza, which is owned by Famous Brands, has opened 36 new restaurants this year, giving more South Africans access to its offering.
The idea for Debonairs Pizza was hatched 35 years ago when Craig MacKenzie, a student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, visited Los Angeles.
The United States is renowned for its pizza delivery services, and he saw a gap in the South African fast-food market for a similar service.
In 1991, he joined forces with fellow student Andrew Harvey to open the first Debonairs Pizza out of the Park Lane Spar in Pietermaritzburg.
It was the first South African pizza restaurant to offer efficient, free delivery. Adding a unique flair, Debonairs drivers made deliveries wearing tuxedos and bow ties.
In 1996, the Steers Group, which later became Famous Brands, acquired Debonairs Pizza to take it to the next level.
It built a franchising framework and robust supply chain for the company, along with a national marketing campaign.
In 1997, Debonairs opened its first restaurant outside of South Africa in Manzini, Eswatini. By 1998, the business had opened its 60th store in Rivonia.
Debonairs Pizza won the Franchisor of the Year award from the Franchisee Association of South Africa in 1998.
In 2005, Debonairs changed its slogan from “We deliver smartly” to “It’s the way you like it”. That same year, it opened its 200th store in Sandton.
In 2008, Debonairs introduced its Triple-Decker, Crammed-Crust and Double-Stack pizzas, which are still part of its menu today.
In 2010, it launched mobile and online ordering, a first for any pizza brand in Africa. It also introduced a small personal pizza to its menu.
A year later, the business again changed its slogan to “Try something amazing”. This slogan is still used by Debonairs today.
Today, Debonairs Pizza is the largest pizza fast-food chain in South Africa, with 763 outlets.
Debonairs Pizza rapidly rolling out new restaurants
Famous Brands’ audited financial statements for the year ended 28 February 2026 showed that Debonairs Pizza is the fastest-growing brand in its stable.
It owns many of South Africa’s top fast food and restaurant chains, including Wimpy, FishAways, Milky Lane, Steers, Vovo Telo, and KEG.
Famous Brands also owns Mugg & Bean, Europa, Mythos, Turn n Tender, Lupa, Cater Chain, Catch, Paul, Tru Fruit, and Lamberts Bay Foods.
Its latest results showed that Famous Brands opened 36 new Debonairs Pizza outlets over the last year, bringing the total to 763.
It has also revamped 48 Debonairs Pizza restaurants to give them a more modern look and feel, improving the customer experience.
In the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, Debonairs Pizza opened 7 new restaurants, bringing the total to 113.
In the Rest of Africa and Middle East (AME) and the United Kingdom (UK), Debonairs Pizza opened 4 new restaurants, bringing the total to 24.
The table below shows Famous Brands’ restaurant movement in the financial year which ended on 28 February 2026.
Famous Brands’ restaurant movement
Debonairs Pizza photos
Comments