What began as an Italian staple has evolved into a fast-food fixture, holding its own against chicken chains and burger giants in the daily dining choices of millions of South Africans.
Pizza consumption: The numbers tell the story
Drawing on Maps consumer data, Eighty20 analysed South African pizza consumption by grouping QSR brands into four broad categories: burger-led (e.g. Steers), chicken-led (e.g. Chicken Licken), pizza-led (e.g. Debonairs), and multi-category outlets that span several food types (e.g. Spur).
It's worth noting that this categorisation involves some judgment calls - Rocomamas, for instance, was placed in the multi-category bucket, though shifting it to burgers would have added only around 100,000 unique consumers to that group, leaving the overall order of preference unchanged.
The number of people who ate at this type of QSR in the past 12 months
No surprise to anyone, chicken dominates consumption, with twice as many people saying they eat most often at chicken QSRs compared to the next most popular option.
What might be more surprising is that the second most popular option is pizza, ahead of both burgers and multi-category restaurants, and most likely due to Debonairs being consistently in the top 5 fast food choices which are dominated by chicken options.
This is further surprising given that two pizza giants, Scooters Pizza and Domino’s Pizza are both gone from the South African market (although Scooters, trading on nostalgia and some epic ad campaigns in the 2000s opened a store in Rosebank this year).
Famous Brands owns Debonairs Pizza and delivered a solid financial performance in a tough South African economic and infrastructure environment. Their 2025 financial year showed revenue up to R8.28bn (from R8.02bn) and operating profit up 12.6%, with a “healthy pipeline of new restaurant openings planned for 2026” which likely includes more Debonairs branches.
The demographics that are driving the pizza popularity are those of affluent consumers.
Middle Class Workers, Heavy Hitters, and Comfortable Retirees are the highest LSM and SEM segments in Eighty20’s National Segmentation (ENS) and they enjoy their pizza.
Obviously, families - what parent is not delighted to reward their kid’s good behaviour with pizza on a Friday night? Young and mature families corelate strongly with pizza consumption, as do young couples (date night anyone?), particularly with those in their 20s and 30s.
Eighty20 National Segmentation segments:
The MAPS consumption data and ENS combined, reveal some clear patterns in South African QSR preferences. Students and Scholars over-index strongly for burgers, while South Africa's three poorest segments — Mothers of the Nation, Hustling Males, and Humble Retirees — all under-index for eating out generally, but when they do eat out, chicken is the consistent choice.
Chicken also dominates for the Mass Market, while fish rises to the top for the Middle Class and Comfortable Retirees. At the other end of the spectrum, Heavy Hitters — South Africa's wealthiest segment — show a broader, more varied palate, preferring multi-category restaurants.
The chart below maps the correlation between Eighty20's National Segments and QSR preference. Note that this reflects strength of association, not frequency — it does not mean, for example, that the Middle-Class visit fish restaurants more often than chicken restaurants, simply that the affinity between that segment and that category is stronger.
Ranked Index Score for ENS segments and their QSR preference
Other key demographics
- Marital Status: Married and divorced people are over-indexed for fish and multi-category restaurants, but divorcees are most highly correlated with pizza.
- Geographies: Western Cape over indexed for burgers, while Gauteng and Free State over indexed for fish
- Life Stages: Young couples and young and mature families are over indexed for fish and multi-category offerings.
The South African pizza market was valued at $1.89bn in 2024 and is projected to reach $2.86bn by 2033, representing a CAGR of 4.68% (Deep Market Insights). Notably, this growth is not primarily restaurant-driven - frozen pizza accounts for the largest share of the market by product type.
South Africa more than holds its own on the world stage.
In Time Out Travel's ranking of the world's best pizzas, two South African restaurants broke into the global top 18 on a list that saw New York's Mama's Too edge out Italian competition for the top spot.
Johannesburg's Little Kitchener's Pizzeria claimed 6th place with its Pepperoni and Hot Honey Pizza, while Cape Town's Pizza Connection landed 11th with its signature Capetonian.
“While chicken's dominance reflects both affordability and cultural preferences in the South African market, pizza's solid second place position in the fast-food hierarchy reflects its widespread availability and competitive pricing across multiple price points. In addition, its versatility (delivery, sharing, variety) makes it particularly appealing to family-oriented segments,” adds Andrew Fulton, director at Eighty20.
Pizza is not just surviving South Africa's diverse, competitive fast-food market, it is thriving. As consumption patterns evolve and new segments discover their pizza preferences, one thing remains certain: this Italian import has found a permanent home in the Rainbow Nation's dining landscape.
