Debonairs Pizza is a South Africa-based pizza restaurant chain franchise founded in 1991 by Craig MacKenzie and Andrew Harvey. MacKenzie came up with the idea and business model to found the company following a gap-year trip to Los Angeles when he was a student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.[2] The first restaurants were established in Pietermaritzburg, followed by Umhlanga and then Durban. The chain expanded rapidly and was acquired by Famous Brands in 1999.[4] The company has over 500 restaurants[3][failed verification] in 14 countries mostly located in Africa including Botswana, United Arab Emirates, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Sudan, Zambia and Angola.[5] The majority of its 546 (2018) restaurants are located in South Africa, with 462 restaurants in the country. As of 2018, Debonairs Pizza was the largest pizza chain restaurant in South Africa.[6]
