In the past five years, the casual dining industry has been caught in an identity crisis, brought on by the influx of US brands to the local sector. In the past five years, the owners of casual restaurants or diners have been placing their bets on brands such as the 2013 investment in Burger King by Grand Parade Investments, or that of Taste Holdings in Starbucks and Domino's Pizza. Famous Brands joined the spree with its upper-crust brand PAUL, later joined by Siyaghopa Trading Group's Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen. Yet in the past year, Taste Holdings lost 58.16% in share value, while the one-time kingpin of the sector, Famous Brands, lost 24.27%, whereas Spur Corporation, which has no exposure to international brands, lost about 21.1%. For brands such as Spur, which has been around for 50 years, Wimpy for 40 years and Nando's for 30 years, it seems that consumers are still turning to legacy brands to satisfy their appetite, despite the allure of foreign dining groups. Anthony Clark,...
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