SA loves Spur

Following a public poll conducted by Acentric Marketing Research, the Spur Steak Ranches has been voted South Africa's top chain of restaurants with the best-tasting food and best-value pricing. The survey that covered 21 restaurant chains saw the favourite family eatery beat its competitors on food and pricing, as well as on several other factors. These included service levels, the enjoyment experienced by its patrons, the perceived image of the brand and convenience.

These results, for the first quarter of 2012, are echoed by the views of the younger generation following the Sunday Times Next Generation survey for 2012, in which the group was once again voted South Africa's "coolest eat out place" in a national sample of respondents aged 8 to 22. This year marked the eighth consecutive time it has topped the youth polls.

The chain, with 248 restaurants in South Africa, is continually looking at new ways of keeping patrons happy, says CEO Pierre van Tonder. "We keep our menu updated with a wide range of foods to suit a varied spectrum of palates. We recently created an easy-to-use online nutrition service that lets you work out the kilojoule content of every dish on the menu. We list ingredients and the potential allergens to help people on special diets or with certain food intolerances, who are now armed with the information to build their own meals to suit their individual needs. We shall also soon be introducing a gift card, that lets customers buy meal vouchers, as gifts for family and friends."

Established in 1967, the group now has 284 outlets worldwide, with restaurants in various parts of Africa, in Mauritius, Dubai, the UK and Australia.