RocoMamas: History, Key Facts and Reviews

2013-2014: a smash burger joint on Malibongwe Drive

RocoMamas began in July 2013 as a single restaurant on Malibongwe Drive in Randburg, in the north of Johannesburg. Its founders, Brian Altriche and Paul Dempsey, met as teenagers at Damelin College and later lived in California (BizNews). Altriche brought the smash burger back from a small diner in West Hollywood, where an older couple pressed the patties flat on the griddle. He was no newcomer to the trade: he had run Spur franchises since 2005 (SA Franchise Brands). The first menu offered burgers smashed to order from three fresh mince blends, plus ribs and wings, with burgers from R35 (Bizcommunity). Our guide to RocoMamas in Johannesburg covers the branches around that first address.

2015-2016: Spur Corporation takes control

Spur Corporation, the Cape Town group behind Spur Steak Ranches, became the majority owner of RocoMamas in 2015. It bought 51% of the brand when it had four restaurants in greater Johannesburg and three more in the pipeline (Bizcommunity). Spur’s network did the rest. In the year to June 2016, 33 RocoMamas opened, taking the total to 42, and the first one outside South Africa opened in Namibia (News24).

2017-2022: across Africa and into the drive-thru

RocoMamas grew mainly across southern and eastern Africa. By May 2019 it had 85 restaurants, 14 of them outside South Africa, and Altriche sat on Spur’s executive committee as CEO of the brand (BizNews). Spur now lists RocoMamas in Australia, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ghana, India, Namibia, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe (Spur Corporation). In July 2022 the first RocoMamas drive-thru opened at Little Falls, on Johannesburg’s West Rand, with a second planned in Queenswood, Pretoria (Bizcommunity).

2025-2026: 115 restaurants under Spur

Today RocoMamas is the burger brand of JSE-listed Spur Corporation, which holds 70% of the RocoMamas franchise company. On June 30, 2026, the chain counted 115 restaurants: 92 in South Africa and 23 abroad, up from 112 a year earlier. Its South African restaurants took R1,053.7 million in the 2026 financial year, 7.6% more than in 2025 (Spur annual financial statements 2026). Australia is down to a single franchised restaurant. For a branch outside Johannesburg, see our guide to RocoMamas in Stellenbosch.

Key dates

• 2013: Brian Altriche and Paul Dempsey open the first RocoMamas in Randburg, Johannesburg, in July.
• 2015: Spur Corporation buys 51% of the four-restaurant chain.
• 2016: 42 restaurants and a first restaurant abroad, in Namibia.
• 2019: 85 restaurants, 14 of them outside South Africa.
• 2022: the first RocoMamas drive-thru opens at Little Falls, in July.
• 2026: 115 restaurants on June 30, 92 of them in South Africa.