del forno pizza pasta grill

What del forno pizza pasta grill does

Del Forno Pizza Pasta Grill is a privately held South African restaurant franchise founded in 2000, operating 47 owner-operated branches across Gauteng, North West, and Mpumalanga provinces. The company serves individual consumers, families, and community groups seeking Mediterranean-inspired casual dining through dine-in, takeaway, and delivery service formats. Its menu spans wood-fired pizzas, hand-crafted pastas, grills, breakfast items, a dedicated kiddies menu, Date Night specials, and crafted cocktails, with Halaal-certified variants available across menu categories.

The company's core technology centers on wood-fired ovens that produce a signature charred crust and authentic Mediterranean flavors, distinguishing it from standard pizza chains. Proprietary assets include the Bello Coffee sub-brand, a 100% Arabica dark-roast blend combining Central American, South American, and African coffee origins, sold both in-store and as a retail product. The online ordering platform at order.delforno.co.za processes payments through PayFast, Visa, and Mastercard for delivery and takeaway orders.

Del Forno's business model combines franchise expansion with direct food and beverage revenue. New franchisees pay a R150,000 joining fee (excluding VAT) and must demonstrate 50% unencumbered funds as a prerequisite for ownership. Franchise inquiries are managed by Streamline Brands. The company earned no disclosed institutional investment, expanded organically from a single takeaway shop to 47 locations, and reports a lean corporate headquarters staff of 15 employees.

Name

del forno pizza pasta grill

Legal name

Del Forno

Website

https://delforno.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Del Forno Pizza Pasta Grill is a South African franchise restaurant chain operating 47 owner-operated branches across Gauteng, North West, and Mpumalanga provinces since 2000, serving families and individuals with wood-fired pizzas, pastas, and grills.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (7225)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Pizza QSR (THAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Fast Casual (THAFABAD)

Keywords

• Italian restaurant
• Pizza restaurant
• Wood-fired pizza
• Franchise restaurant
• Mediterranean cuisine

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices43 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Revenue from dine-in, takeaway, and delivery orders across 47 franchise locations. Menu includes pizzas, pastas, grills, breakfast items, and crafted cocktails.
2. Franchise Fees: One-time joining fee of R150,000 (excluding VAT) for new franchisees. Franchisees must have 50% unencumbered funds as a pre-requisite.
3. Bello Coffee Products: Sale of Bello Coffee branded products at store locations, including whole beans and ground coffee for home brewing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Del Forno Pizza Pasta Grill operates a Mediterranean-inspired casual restaurant franchise that sells wood-fired pizzas, hand-crafted pastas, and grills through dine-in, takeaway, and delivery across 47 owner-operated stores in South Africa. The offering is rounded out by breakfast, kiddies, drinks, and Date Night menus, with Halaal variants available, and is paired with a proprietary Bello Coffee sub-brand. The company also licenses its concept to franchisees for a R150,000 joining fee.

Product overview

Del Forno Pizza Pasta Grill is a single unified restaurant concept offering Mediterranean cuisine with three core food categories: wood-fired pizzas, hand-crafted pastas, and grills, supplemented by breakfast, cocktails, kiddies, and Date Night specialty menus. The company operates a franchise model with 47 branches across South Africa. Associated sub-brand Bello Coffee provides 100% Arabica coffee products. Menus are available in both standard and Halaal versions, with service formats including dine-in, takeaway, and delivery. A new smaller-format concept called Del Forno Bambino was recently launched at the Northcliff location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bello Coffee: 100% Arabica coffee brand featuring a blend of Central American, South American and African coffees, roasted to a dark profile and available for purchase at Del Forno stores.

Products and services

• Wood-Fired Pizzas Authentic wood-fired pizzas prepared with the finest ingredients, representing the cornerstone of Del Forno's Mediterranean dining experience and the original product from the brand's 2000 launch.
• Hand-Crafted Pastas Freshly prepared traditional pasta dishes made with quality ingredients and Mediterranean-inspired flavors, served as a core menu pillar across dine-in, takeaway, and Date Night menus.
• Grills Grilled menu items including chicken burgers and spare ribs, featured in daily specials and the regular menu across all Del Forno locations.
• Breakfast Menu Everyday breakfast specials including breakfast paired with Bello Coffee or tea, available at all branches with a Halaal variant.
• Date Night Menu Romantic dining experience for couples featuring focaccia to share, two mains, a dessert to share, and a bottle of house wine, available on Wednesdays with a Halaal variant.
• Kiddies Menu Dedicated menu designed for children, available at all Del Forno locations to support family dining occasions.
• Drinks Menu Beverage offerings including crafted cocktails and other drinks complementing the overall food menu at all Del Forno locations.
• Bello Coffee Sub-brand of Del Forno offering 100% Arabica coffee blend combining Central American, South American, and African coffees, dark-roasted, available as regular and decaffeinated (CO2 method) for in-store consumption and home purchase.
• Online Ordering Service Digital ordering platform enabling customers to place orders for delivery, takeaway, or dine-in from any Del Forno location, with payment processing through PayFast, Visa, and Mastercard.
• Del Forno Franchise Program Franchise opportunity requiring owner-operation with thorough training provided. Joining fee of R150,000 (excluding VAT) with a 50% unencumbered funds prerequisite for existing stores, available for both new sites and existing-store acquisitions.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Domino's Pizza South Africa: International pizza QSR chain operating in South Africa with delivery and takeaway focus. Competes with Del Forno in the pizza category but with a pure delivery/takeaway model rather than sit-down dining.
• Pizza Perfect: South African pizza chain with dine-in and delivery service. Comparable to Del Forno in menu scope, customer base, and franchise-style operations.
• Debonairs Pizza: South Africa's largest pizza franchise chain, owned by Famous Brands. Directly competes with Del Forno in the dine-in and delivery pizza category with a comparable franchise model and broad geographic footprint.
• Pizza Hut South Africa: Global pizza chain with dine-in and delivery operations in South Africa. Directly competes with Del Forno across all service formats and customer segments.
• Col'Cacchio: Wood-fired pizza-focused Italian restaurant chain in South Africa. Highly comparable to Del Forno given its similar wood-fired cooking method, dine-in format, and Mediterranean/Italian positioning.
• Panarottis Pizza & Pasta: South African pizza and pasta sit-down restaurant chain, part of the Spur Corporation group. Directly comparable to Del Forno's pizza/pasta menu emphasis and family dining positioning.
• Romans Pizza: South African pizza franchise with sit-down and takeaway service. Closely comparable to Del Forno in cuisine focus, franchise structure, and target customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• Spur Steak Ranches: Largest listed South African restaurant group (parent of Panarottis). Competes with Del Forno in the family casual dining space and represents a potential strategic acquirer or benchmark for franchise-driven restaurant groups.
• Mugg & Bean: South African sit-down café-restaurant franchise chain competing with Del Forno in the family/casual dining daypart and customer demographic.
• Famous Brands: JSE-listed franchisor of multiple restaurant brands including Debonairs, Steers, and Wimpy. Directly comparable franchise-of-restaurants model and a natural benchmark for Del Forno's potential public-market or roll-up valuation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/del-forno-pizza-pasta-grill

Compliance2 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 del forno pizza pasta grill