St Elmo's served up a number of firsts in the South African food industry: first home deliveries of pizza, first pizza slice outlets, first to introduce bottomless sodas and family meals and the first to introduce gourmet pizzas and pastas. Since then they have been an innovator and leader in the pizza/pasta market. Not only are St Elmo's franchises a well-known sight in Cape Town, but they're also becoming familiar in other parts of Africa, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and now Gauteng.
St Elmo's mission is to build loyal, life-long relationships with an ever-expanding community of pizza and pasta lovers. They achieve this by preparing only the highest quality pizzas, pastas and subs and by serving all guests with style and grace.
One of the primary requirements in selecting and approving a franchisee is that a franchisee both owns and operates the business. Ownership creates pride and customer identification not only with the brand, but also with the people behind the brand. The St Elmo's team meets on a regular basis with franchisees to discuss the performance of their stores, marketing opportunities and ways in which service and standards may be improved. The team consists of competent professionals who provide the necessary specialist insight, advice and support on a real-time basis.
A valuable contribution to each franchisee is the central kitchen. It provides a range of products including the secret St Elmo's pizza pre-mix, as well as a variety of home made pastas and desserts. The philosophy behind the central kitchen is to reduce the need for specialist staffing in stores, whilst ensuring a consistent standard of freshness and quality.
Well developed relationships with suppliers ensure that specified products are the best available. Additional benefits and economies of scale are gained through the centralised buying of a range of items. The benefits of this purchasing power are then passed on to the franchisees.
St Elmo's started in true entrepreneurial fashion was in 1987 by Ian Halfon. After completing a thesis on franchising with emphasis on the fast food industry, he took over a struggling pizzeria in the heart of Sea Point and St Elmo's was born. St Elmo's remains one of Halfon's greatest successes to date. It's a franchise that sports all the right toppings - a great concept, comprehensive training and quality back-up support.