Allen Ambor — Business man, entrepreneur, author, yoga instructor wit A Taste For Life
With Allen Ambor — Business man, entrepreneur, author, yoga instructor wit A Taste For Life
In short
Allen Ambor, founder of Spur, traces how a shy only child from Johannesburg became a waiter, then a 22-year-old restaurateur who opened the Golden Spur in Newlands, Cape Town, and built a franchising group of nearly 600 outlets. He explains the name, the Native American logo, his "it doesn't matter who suffers as long as it's not the business" mantra, and the yoga classes he now teaches for charity. The one takeaway: Ambor's parents, refugees who rebuilt from scratch in South Africa, instilled the belief that you must earn what you achieve.
What was Allen Ambor's upbringing like, and how did it shape his work ethic?
He grew up an only child in Bellevue and Highlands North, Johannesburg, with parents who had fled the Nazis in Europe and rebuilt from nothing — his father starting with a bed in his office, his mother a near-qualified doctor and concert pianist. From them he learned that you earn what you achieve rather than sit around pretending to work.
How did he end up going into the steakhouse business in the first place?
He told his father he would pay for his own studies by working as a waiter at a newly opened local steakhouse, and the idea grew from there. He learned retail from the owners, enjoyed the people and the friendships, and eventually spotted a gap in the Cape Town market while holidaying and visiting.
Where does the name Spur come from?
Golden Spur was a defunct steakhouse name he resurrected after someone gazumped his first choice, Golden Steer. The name turned out to be registered by another company, which sent a lawyer's letter offering it for 100 rand. He had already been trading under it for about six months and simply paid the 100 rand.
How hard was it to find premises in Cape Town?
Premises were in zero supply — he drove down from Johannesburg six times over two and a half years without success. On the final trip he phoned an agent who, only the previous day, had been commissioned to find a restaurant for a small shopping centre being built in Newlands. He was 22 when he opened.
What went wrong when the first restaurant opened?
The Johannesburg company that was meant to franchise him promised nine people to train grillers, bakers and meat cutters, and not one arrived. He, his partner and his friend Tommy trained staff themselves. A free ice cream giveaway to children from five nearby schools the day before opening brought a deluge of customers they were barely ready for.
Why did he choose franchising rather than opening more of his own restaurants?
Because franchising means someone else provides the capital, keeping his own cost low — the only outlay being training, time and feeding the trainees. Having been abandoned by his own would-be franchisors, he had already learned everything setting up a restaurant took. His first franchisee was old schoolmate Raymond Padowitz, in Bellville.
How did the Native American logo and the decor come about?
A spur on a cowboy boot struck him as a harsh, not animal-friendly implement, and a friend, artist Paddy Webster, was always painting Red Indians. He also sensed a change in South Africa's social structure and wanted to signal to people of colour that they were welcome, so he adopted the Native American as the logo.
Where did Panarottis, John Dory's and RocoMamas come from?
Panarottis grew from demand for pizza in towns Spur already served; he refused to put pizza in Spur, wanted to name it after the singer, and after his lawyer warned of a franchise fee, settled on Panarottis because "paner" is bread. John Dory's and RocoMamas came much later, sourced under MD Pierre Fentonda, with Mark Farley assessing RocoMamas.
What is he doing now that he has left the business?
He teaches yoga five times a week over Zoom, having taught for over 20 years at his local Virgin gym. A class member introduced him to Zoom during lockdown. He charges 300 rand a month for 22 classes and gives every penny to the Ladles of Love charity, which feeds poor people in the Cape.
In their words
I learned that you have to earn what you achieve
it doesn't matter who suffers as long as it's not the business
people have to share your vision and if they don't really want to share your vision well they must go and share somebody else's vision or their own vision
I also sensed a change in South Africa's social structure and I felt I must give a signal to people of color that we welcome them so I adopted the Native American Indian as our logo
yoga is the best exercise for the human animal
Key takeaways
- Ambor's parents, refugees who rebuilt from scratch in South Africa, instilled the belief that you must earn what you achieve.
- The Spur name was a resurrected defunct brand bought for 100 rand after he had already been trading under it for six months.
- Franchising was chosen deliberately because it grows a complex business with low capital cost to the founder.
- His governing mantra was that it doesn't matter who suffers as long as it isn't the business — and in the early days everyone, including him, suffered.
- The Native American logo was both an aesthetic choice and a deliberate signal of welcome to people of colour as South African society changed.
- Consistency across Spur outlets came from fanatical training and insisting staff share the vision or go elsewhere.
Show notes
In this episode, I chat with Allen about his younger days and his roller coaster journey through life as he starts the restaurant chain we all know and love.
So join Allen Ambor on a rock ’n’ roll ride through the restaurant business and pioneering days of franchising in South Africa. Allen's exuberance for life and exacting management style shines through on every page of this memoir of a man who went from being a hippy waiter to opening the first Spur in 1967 and growing it into an empire that included more than 500 franchises under the Spur, Panarottis, John Dory’s and RocoMamas brands.
And he now teaches Yoga how cool is that?
https://www.nb.co.za/en/view-book/?id=9780624087236
https://www.wattsinvolved.com/
Frequently asked questions
How many outlets does the group have now?
Ambor says nearly 600 today, and that he is proud of the employment the group has created. He left the business two and a half years before the interview.
Did the overseas expansion work?
Not at first. Under Pierre Fentonda the group went overseas without much success, but Ambor says they are now doing much better in Africa and the Middle East, with both RocoMamas and Spur performing well.
What sort of people did he hire in the early days?
People who needed a break and would work long hours on their feet — among them a university dropout, Tony Williams, whom he fed and employed, and Manuel George, a graduate who became his first junior partner.
Is there another brand in the group besides the well-known ones?
Yes, Hussar — an upmarket steakhouse. Ambor describes it as still small in numbers but a very successful little group within the wider group.
How does he teach yoga if he cannot adjust people physically?
He does the yoga alongside them while talking throughout, telling them how to position their bodies, then comes down to look at them on the screen and gives verbal corrections to make the practice more beneficial.
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