Steers

Steers has become one of South Africa’s most recognizable quick-service restaurant brands in South Africa. The company is well known for serving flame-grilled burgers’ made from 100% pure beef and handmade chips. Other menu items include chicken burgers, ribs and Hero rolls as well as ice-creams and milkshakes.

History
Steers founder, George Halamandaris introduced the first steakhouse concept to South Africa after spending time in the United States. The name “Steers” evolved over the years from a variety of names, starting with Golden Spur, then Seven Steer followed by Branded Steer and Longhorn Steer.

The first ever Steers store was opened in 1970 by George’s son, John Halamandaris, in Jeppe, Johannesburg. John later joined forces with his four cousins, Panagiotis, Theofanis, Periklis and Charalambous Halamandaris. The early 80s saw the opening of a fourth Steers in Sandton City, which attracted interest from would-be franchisees. The other stores included Yeoville and Bellevue with a central kitchen in Johannesburg.

Franchise
In 1983, Steers launched a new franchise programme. The owners placed a single advertisement in a local newspaper inviting franchisees to apply, and since then Steers has never had a shortage of prospective franchisees seeking to buy into the franchise. Within two years there were more than 15 outlets opened, and this number grew to 250 stores ten years later. By the end of the 90s Steers started expanding beyond South Africa’s borders, with outlets in Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Mauritius, Zambia, Tanzania and Ivory Coast. There are over 500 franchises across South Africa and Africa. There is a restaurant opening on Lavender Hill, Battersea, London, UK in late July 2013.

Achievements
For 17 years in a row, Steers has been recognized by well-known Johannesburg listing magazine, Leisure Options, for serving the Best Hamburger in the QSR industry. Steers has also won ‘best chips’ for 13 years running.

Steers Holdings Limited was later renamed Famous Brands Limited.

Slogans

 * Flame-Grilled, It Just Tastes Better (current)
 * Real Burgers
 * Real Food Made Real Good

Countries with Steers Restaurants

 * 🇦🇴 Angola
 * 🇧🇼 Botswana
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England
 * Ivory Coast
 * 🇰🇪 Kenya
 * 🇱🇸 Lesotho
 * 🇲🇼 Malawi
 * 🇲🇺 Mauritius
 * 🇲🇿 Mozambique
 * 🇳🇦 Namibia
 * 🇳🇬 Nigeria
 * 🇿🇦 South Africa
 * 🇸🇩 Sudan
 * 🇸🇿 Swaziland
 * 🇹🇿 Tanzania
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * 🇿🇲 Zambia
 * 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe