Spur bosses travel SA to listen to customers as 'bully' boycott bites

With Spur eateries under siege as they continue to feel the impact of a national boycott‚ apologetic senior executives have announced a nationwide tour to effect damage control.

The move has been welcomed by Eastern Cape franchise operators who say customer numbers are still down in the wake of the now notorious altercation between two patrons in Gauteng.

The incident‚ in which a man berated a woman in front of children‚ took place at Texamo Spur at The Glen Shopping Centre in Johannesburg on March 19.

WARNING: VIDEO INCLUDES EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

One of the patrons was subsequently banned‚ sparking a backlash against the group.

Announcing the tour‚ Spur Corporation chief executive Pierre van Tonder said: “We have realised that we have not been listening to our customers.

“The altercation . . . and the reaction that followed‚ drove home a powerful message‚ namely that we urgently needed to give attention to the needs and frustrations of our customers.

“We also have to accept and recognise the sentiments of both the public and our franchisees‚ with regards to our overall handling of the situation.

“We hereby unconditionally apologise to any person or community who has taken exception to our actions and will ensure a fair hearing is conducted prior to judgements being made in future.”

Van Tonder oversees 326 Spur Steak Ranches.

A month after the Texamo incident‚ Spur announced it had asked a law professor to convene a panel to make recommendations to the company on actions that should be taken to rectify the shortcomings in its response and improve its reaction to similar incidents in future.

In the interim‚ it said it had embarked on a national programme to increase the child-minder to child ratio in its play areas during busy periods and had launched a formal re-education drive to "refresh and enhance the procedures and skills of our minders". It also pledged to provide key personnel with conflict resolution skills.

“However‚ due to the overwhelming public response and customer input from ground level‚ Spur has decided to put the panel’s work on hold for [now]‚" Van Tonder told The Herald this week.

“At this point we are convinced there is more value in listening to our franchisees and the public – our clients – hence the tour.

“We note that several franchisees are now under pressure‚ without having done anything wrong. Spur will assist [them] in re-establishing the personal relationships they foster in their respective communities.”

Spur’s latest move comes amid a protracted price slump for the restaurant chain’s JSE-listed shares‚ which were trading at R3‚050 a share before May 30 and at about R2‚850 this week.

The value of Spur’s shares‚ however‚ have not been linked to the boycott action.

- HeraldLIVE