King Pie Franchise Group

What King Pie Franchise Group does

King Pie Franchise Group is a South African Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) franchise operator specializing in pie-based products, headquartered in Midrand and operating as a subsidiary of The Bidvest Group Limited. Founded in 1990 with its first bakery in Silverton, Pretoria and converted to a franchise model in 1993, the company has grown to over 300 franchised outlets across South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, and Swaziland. Its core product range includes large pies, Double Filla pies, cocktail pies, burger pies, footlong rolls, combo meals, sharing meals, and a frozen retail range, differentiated by an 84-layer pastry recipe, 35-step quality control process, 100% real meat fillings, and HACCP/Halaal certifications.

The business operates a multi-format franchise model — King Pie Store, Kiosk, Express Unit, and Mobile Kiosk — with setup costs ranging from approximately R164,863 to R713,000 depending on format. King Pie monetizes through a layered revenue model: one-time joining and setup fees, recurring Management Service Fees (3.5% escalating to 5% of franchisee turnover), marketing fees (1-1.5%), and centralized product supply to franchisees. Distribution extends through delivery partnerships with Mr D Food and Uber Eats, and forecourt locations at major fuel retailers including Shell, Caltex, Total, and Puma. The Royal Rewards loyalty programme drives repeat consumer engagement.

King Pie serves two primary customer segments: value-conscious South African mass-market consumers seeking affordable QSR meals, and aspiring franchisee-entrepreneurs (SMBs) seeking an established brand with relatively low entry capital requirements. Its go-to-market is fundamentally a channel-partner franchise model supplemented by direct-to-consumer retail through owned and franchised stores. The brand's three-decade heritage and Bidvest corporate backing underpin its position as an established QSR pie market leader in Southern Africa.

Name

King Pie Franchise Group

Legal name

King Pie

Website

https://kingpie.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Short description

King Pie Franchise Group is a South African QSR pie franchise operator with 300+ outlets across Southern Africa, monetizing through franchise fees, royalties, and centralized product supply to franchisee-entrepreneurs serving value-conscious consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Franchise

NAICS

Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (3118), Retail Bakeries (311811)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Pizza QSR (THAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pastry, Cakes & Desserts Wholesale (AFAIAFAB), Bakery & Desserts Distribution (CRAOABAE)

Keywords

• Quick service restaurant
• Pie manufacturing
• Franchise food retail
• Frozen pie products
• Food delivery service

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalties: King Pie charges franchisees joining fees, management service fees (MSF) based on turnover percentages, and marketing fees. MSF starts at R1,500 in month 1, then 3.5% for months 2-12, and 5% from month 13 onwards. Marketing fees range from R550 to 1.5% of turnover.
2. Product Sales through Franchisees: Revenue generated from supplying pies and related products to franchise partners through the centralized supply chain. Franchisees purchase products from King Pie HQ and resell to end consumers.
3. Franchise Setup Fees: One-time setup costs for franchise establishments: King Pie Store (R625,071-R713,000), Kiosk (R325,760-R458,000), Express Unit (R571,115-R608,228), Mobile Kiosk (R164,863-R186,991), plus joining fees of R5,000-R60,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

King Pie Franchise Group manufactures and retails a portfolio of pie-based quick service restaurant (QSR) products through a franchise network of over 300 outlets across Southern Africa. Its core offering includes Large Pies, Double Filla Pies, Cocktail Pies, Burger Pies, Footlong Rolls, combo meals, sharing meals, and a frozen pie range sold direct to consumers at franchise stores and through Mr D Food and Uber Eats. The company also sells franchise opportunities in four formats (King Pie Store, Kiosk, Mobile Kiosk, Express Unit), with franchisees paying joining fees, monthly management service fees, and marketing fees.

Product overview

King Pie Franchise Group operates as a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) franchise business offering a portfolio of pie-based food products. The core product lineup includes Large Pies (Steak, Sausage Roll, Spinach & Feta, Cornish, Mutton Curry), Double Filla Pies (Pepper Steak, Steak & Kidney, Steak & Cheese, Sticky Rib, Chicken varieties), Cocktail Pies, Burger Pies, Cheeseburger Pies, and Footlong Rolls. Side items include Chips and Sauces. The company offers Combo Meals and Sharing Meals for families. The business also operates sub-brands including Frozen Pie Range (550g and standard sizes), Frozen Cocktails, and seasonal Soup offerings. King Pie operates a Royal Rewards loyalty program. The franchise model offers four distinct outlet formats: King Pie Store (full 25-40 sqm retail), Kiosk (3x3m modular), Mobile Food Kiosk (satellite 6m unit), and Express Unit (18 sqm container for non-shopping center locations). Products are available through delivery partners Mr D Food and Uber Eats, and the brand forms part of The Bidvest Group Limited.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Large Pies

Quantifiable outcome

• Average monthly turnover of R180,000 per King Pie Store
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Bidvest Group LimitedcoreOthersKing Pie Franchise Group forms part of The Bidvest Group Limited, a major South African industrial and services company. This corporate ownership provides strategic backing and resources for the franchise operation.
• Elegant FuelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKing Pie outlets established at Elegant Fuel stations including Buffelspruit, Elim, and Hazyview locations as part of forecourt market expansion strategy.
• Puma Filling StationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKing Pie outlet located at Puma Filling Station in Groblersdal as part of forecourt expansion.
• TotalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKing Pie outlet at Total Naboomspruit/Mokgopong fuel station as part of forecourt market strategy.
• CaltexcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKing Pie outlet at Caltex Sea Point, Cape Town location for convenience-focused consumers.
• MBT FuelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKing Pie outlet at MBT Fuel Vrede location as part of broader forecourt expansion.
• ShellcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKing Pie outlet at Shell Klerksdorp fuel station as part of forecourt market penetration.
• Mr D FoodcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivery partnership enabling customers to order King Pie products through the Mr D Food platform for home delivery.
• Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivery partnership through Uber Eats platform providing another channel for customers to access King Pie products at home.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nando's: South African-origin peri-peri chicken QSR with deep franchise footprint domestically and across Southern Africa. Comparable as a proudly South African QSR brand with strong multi-country franchise expansion.
• Debonairs Pizza: South Africa's leading pizza-focused QSR franchise chain, owned by Famous Brands. Closest product analog to King Pie given the parallel between pizza QSR and pie QSR — both are baked-dough, savoury, handheld items sold via franchised retail.
• Wimpy: Long-established South African QSR chain (Famous Brands) serving burgers, breakfasts and meals in a sit-down/take-away format. Comparable franchise model, South African consumer base, and broad footprint.
• Hungry Lion: African fried-chicken QSR franchise with operations across Southern Africa. Comparable as a value-oriented franchised QSR operating at similar price points and formats to King Pie across the region.
• Chicken Licken: South African fried-chicken QSR franchise with strong township and high-street presence. Comparable as a value-priced franchised QSR competing for the same working-class, on-the-go consumer in similar geographies.
• Steers: Iconic South African QSR franchise (Famous Brands) specialising in flame-grilled burgers. Comparable as a mass-market South African franchised QSR competing for the same value-conscious on-the-go consumer.
• Fishaways: South African seafood QSR franchise (Famous Brands). Comparable as a category-focused franchised QSR operating across shopping centres, taxi ranks, and townships in the same mass-market segment.

Broad incumbents

• Spur Corporation: JSE-listed restaurant group owning Spur Steak Ranches, Panarottis, John Dory's and others. Comparable as a larger, publicly listed South African multi-brand QSR/family restaurant operator with extensive franchise infrastructure.
• McDonald's South Africa: South African franchise operations of the global QSR leader. Comparable as a large-scale franchised QSR with broad menu, strong brand recognition, and presence in shopping centres and forecourts across South Africa.
• KFC South Africa: South African arm of Yum! Brands' global fried-chicken QSR. Comparable as a large multinational QSR franchise competing for the same mass-market consumer in shopping centres, forecourts, and high streets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Kingpiebrand
• Facebookfacebook.com/kingpiebrand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/king-pie
• Instagraminstagram.com/kingpiebrand

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about King Pie Franchise Group