Spur Corporation is using its Doppio Zero brand to move beyond the traditional full-service restaurant and compete for new customers in coffee, grab-and-go food and smaller-format outlets.

The expansion has taken Doppio Zero to 38 stores, with seven outlets added in the 12 months to June 30. Chief executive Val Nichas says the brand has become Spur’s leading source of innovation as the group looks for restaurant formats that can reach locations and customers outside its established markets.

The growth is being driven by three newer concepts — Doppio Caffè, Doppio Bistrot and Doppio Roam — alongside the core Doppio Zero restaurant.

Doppio targets captive markets

The core Doppio Zero brand accounts for 27 of the 38 outlets, following three openings over the past year in Irene Village, Hartenbos and East Rand Mall.

Doppio Caffè, meanwhile, is being positioned for locations with built-in customer traffic.

Its outlets include Sandton Mediclinic, the Ballyoaks office park in Bryanston and the Protea Hotel Sea Point, where it replaced part of the space previously occupied by a Spur restaurant.

The hospital format also includes a small range of grab-and-go retail products, while the Sea Point outlet caters to hotel guests at breakfast and doubles as a destination for cocktails and evening drinks.

That strategy puts Doppio increasingly into territory occupied by Famous Brands’ Mugg & Bean, which has also expanded into smaller formats designed for office parks and fuel stations.

As of the end of February 2026, Mugg & Bean had 301 stores, making it roughly 12 times the size of Doppio. The gap highlights the potential market available to Spur as it expands beyond conventional restaurants.

Roam opens smaller investment route

Nichas sees Doppio Roam as the format with the greatest potential. Launched in August at Irene Village Mall in Centurion, the concept combines coffee, baked goods, healthier meals and retail products in a much smaller footprint.

The first Roam outlet is operated by an existing Doppio franchisee, with bakery products expected to be produced at larger Doppio stores and supplied to the smaller outlets.

The format can operate in about 50 square metres as a coffee counter or expand to as much as 120 square metres with seating.

That flexibility could also lower the entry barrier for franchise investors, with Nichas targeting investors with about R1.3 million($79,126.65) to R1.8 million($109,552.59) available.

The model puts Doppio into a fast-growing coffee and convenience market alongside chains such as Vida e Caffè, Seattle Coffee Company, Bootlegger Coffee Company and Platō Coffee.

Breakfast drives Doppio growth

Doppio’s expansion also aligns with a broader shift in Spur’s restaurant business. Breakfast was the group’s fastest-growing daypart in the latest year, with sales increasing 8%, although breakfast still represented only 11% of overall restaurant sales.

For Doppio, however, breakfast is much more significant, accounting for about half of its trade. The company-owned Doppio Bistrot at the Nine Yards development in Rosebank has also attracted attention and includes a private dining area.

Spur currently operates it alongside two nearby Doppio outlets in Greenside and Rosebank to avoid cannibalising sales, although franchising could be considered later.

With seven stores added in a year, Doppio is approaching the pace of Spur and Panarottis, which each typically add low double-digit numbers of restaurants annually.

The expansion gives Spur another route to grow its specialty brands while competing for smaller, higher-traffic locations that its traditional restaurant formats cannot easily serve.