| Type | Franchise |
|---|---|
| Traded as | (JSE: FBR) |
| Industry | Food and Beverage |
| Genre | Take-Aways and Diners |
| Founded | 1960's |
| Founder(s) | George Halamandres |
| Headquarters | Midrand, South Africa |
| Products | Fast-Food |
| Revenue | unspecified |
| Net income | unspecified |
| Website | Steers.co.za |
Steers is a fast-food, quick service restaurant franchise originating from South Africa. Its core products include the sale of a range of flame-grilled beef and chicken hamburgers, served with soft drinks and french fries.
Steers was founded in the 1960s by George Halamandres (of Greek descent). Following a visit to the United States of America in the 1950s, Halamandres (actually spelt Halamandaris, a mistake made at the immigration office) returned to South Africa to introduce the concept and opened the first Steers steakhouse restaurant in Bellevue, near Johannesburg. The restaurant and concept attracted much attention and was a success. Halamandres was joined by his son John and his nephews, the Halamandaris brothers, Peter (Panayiotis), Theofanis, Perry (Periklis) and Babis (Charalambos) in the 1970s. The success of the Bellevue restaurant soon lead to additional restaurants being opened and the concept of franchising was introduced to the South African market. During the very early stages of expansion, a Steers restaurant was opened in the Sandton City shopping mall in Johannesburg, and became the platform for the franchise concept. The franchise expanded rapidly in South Africa and become one of South Africa's most well-known fast-food chain restaurants.
In March 1994, the company listed under the name Steers Holdings Limited on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in South Africa. At this time the company had 162 Steers restaurants. On 1 January 1995 the company's share price closed at ZAR 0.925. Currently there are 520 outlets spread across the African continent and the share price is over R30.00.
Steers Holdings Limited was later renamed Famous Brands Limited. To this day, John, Peter, Theofanis and Perry are still on the board of directors of Famous Brands Limited.