JSE-listed restaurant franchisor Famous Brands is ramping up its investment in consumer-facing technologies, with a focus on digital ordering, payment integration, loyalty platforms and delivery enhancements.
According to its latest annual report, the company’s adoption of digital tools is helping its restaurant network adapt to changing consumer behaviour in an increasingly connected market.
Its key brands include Steers, Wimpy, Debonairs Pizza, Mugg & Bean, Fishaways and Milky Lane.
The company identifies consumer technology as a critical driver in the restaurant industry, noting it is leveraging these tools to improve customer experience and support franchisees in running more efficient, profitable businesses.
“We continue to invest in the delivery channel to provide our franchise network with a competitive advantage and consumers with a seamless ordering experience,” it says.
Consumers can order through call centres, websites, or mobile apps.
“We consider it a mobile-first approach as consumers increasingly engage with our brands using smartphones,” the company states.
Refining ordering
It highlights that all leading brands have mobile apps, which are actively promoted through in-store, packaging and marketing campaigns. Enhancements are continually made to these digital platforms to ensure a smoother ordering experience.
To support this digital shift, Famous Brands operates four inbound South African call centres that serve over 90% of its leading brands.
“We measure their performance across several metrics, including call order rates, order abandonment rates and sales per minute,” the company explains.
It also partners with a technology provider to enable real-time driver and route tracking, which enhances delivery speed and reduces franchisee costs. Drivers use Android devices to navigate routes, communicate with customers and process payments.
The company’s delivery hub model, introduced in 2023, enables a single franchise partner to handle deliveries for multiple restaurants within a defined area.
According to the firm, this model, currently rolled out to 51 hubs servicing 305 restaurants across seven South African regions, achieves an average on-time delivery rate of 82%.
“This results in cost savings and efficiencies for franchise partners, while improving delivery times, consumer experience and driver productivity,” Famous Brands notes.
Point-of-sale (POS) systems also play a key role in its tech ecosystem. “In 2025, we continued to implement the Munch Software POS system across our CDR network.”
The system, used in 318 restaurants by year-end, is cloud-based, more affordable for franchisees and enables faster software updates, it states.
“Importantly, our strategic shareholding in Munch Software elevates this from a simple supplier relationship,” the company adds, noting the integration potential across its supply chain and e-commerce platforms.
Famous Brands is reviewing its payment systems to improve integration with POS infrastructure and plans to introduce a payment gateway to streamline controls and operations.
It reveals that a new consumer engagement platform is set to launch in 2026, aimed at boosting retention and personalisation through data-driven insights. “We continue to evolve our e-commerce capabilities to reduce transaction costs and improve the consumer experience,” the report states.
The company is also expanding its self-service technology footprint, with 435 self-service terminals now installed in South Africa and pilot deployments in Kenya at Debonairs Pizza and Steers.
These terminals improve order accuracy, increase transaction sizes through upselling and help reduce cashier-related costs. Meanwhile, digital menu boards – now used by 89% of its QSR brands – have made it easier to update offerings and launch promotions quickly.
Productivity boost
The rollout of kitchen display systems has resulted in faster order preparation, contributing to improved service times.
“Technology is a major strategy enabler. We continued to invest in technologies to enhance our back-end, enabling us to deliver better support to our front-end,” says Chris Boulle, chairman of Famous Brands.
He adds that back-end efficiencies will help make products more affordable and attractive to franchise partners as part of a broader plan to modernise manufacturing operations.
“We are also excited about the opportunities in consumer-facing technology,” Boulle says. “These include improving our e-commerce offering, simplifying our technology ecosystem to reduce costs and complexity, and providing personalised engagement with consumers. This year, we determined the roadmap for building our data analytics and business intelligence insights.”
He says this will enable Famous Brands to deliver more differentiated and insight-led value to franchisees and customers over time.
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