The Bakery Franchise Quietly Growing in Places Other Brands Ignore

By Tam Goldsmith

King Pie’s growth shows how simpler, affordable food concepts can scale strongly in difficult economies.

King Pie keeps expanding into smaller towns and transport hubs across South Africa while many restaurant chains stay focused on big cities and major malls.

For a long time, growth in South African franchising followed a familiar pattern.

Big shopping centres. Busy urban areas. Wealthier customers. Premium locations.

That is where most brands wanted to be.

But South Africa is a complicated market. Outside the major cities, consumer spending looks different. Infrastructure looks different. People shop differently. And many franchise systems struggle to make the numbers work once they move beyond the country’s biggest retail hubs.

King Pie seems to have understood that earlier than most.

While many quick-service brands concentrated heavily on malls and higher-income suburbs, King Pie quietly kept opening stores in smaller towns, taxi ranks, transport hubs, and commuter-heavy areas where customers care far more about convenience, familiarity, and affordability than polished retail experiences.

And honestly, that may be one of the smartest franchise growth strategies in the country right now.

Because simpler businesses often scale better in difficult economies.

King Pie’s model works because it is practical. The stores are relatively compact. The product is easy for customers to understand. Operations are highly standardised. Pricing stays affordable enough for repeat purchases.

That simplicity matters more than many franchise systems realise.

Especially in markets where consumers are under financial pressure.

A lot of restaurant brands became increasingly expensive to operate over the last decade. Stores got bigger. Menus became more complicated. Staffing requirements increased. Build costs climbed. Operators started depending on higher customer spend just to protect margins.

That works in some environments.

It becomes much harder in smaller regional markets where customers are watching every rand.

King Pie built around a different reality.

People moving through transport hubs or commuting daily are not necessarily looking for premium dining experiences. They want food that is fast, familiar, affordable, and consistent every single time.

That consistency is probably one of the brand’s biggest advantages.

A customer buying a pie in Johannesburg expects the same experience in Makhanda, Polokwane, or a roadside stop outside Durban. Simpler food concepts tend to travel better because there are fewer operational complications that can go wrong from store to store.

That also makes life easier for franchisees.

Smaller formats are generally cheaper to open, easier to staff, and more flexible when markets shift. In uncertain economic conditions, that flexibility becomes extremely valuable.

And there is another reason this story matters.

It says something important about where growth opportunities still exist in South Africa.

A lot of economic activity happens outside major malls and wealthy urban areas. Millions of people move through taxi ranks, commuter routes, forecourts, and smaller regional towns every day. Brands that understand those customer patterns can build very large businesses without depending entirely on premium retail environments.

King Pie seems to understand that clearly.

And in many ways, this feels optimistic for franchising.

Because it proves growth does not always need to come from expensive flagship stores or luxury positioning. There is still enormous opportunity for businesses that stay operationally disciplined, keep costs manageable, and focus on products customers buy repeatedly.

The brands likely to grow strongest in difficult economies may not be the flashiest operators.

They may simply be the businesses that work reliably in more places, for more people, more often.

That is what King Pie appears to be building.

What We Can Learn From This

King Pie’s growth shows that simple, operationally disciplined franchise systems can scale extremely well in fragmented economies. Franchisors should think carefully about whether their businesses are flexible enough to succeed outside major urban retail centres. In tougher economic conditions, affordability, consistency, and convenience often become stronger growth drivers than premium positioning.