Build The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill Across South Africa
The Great Greek's corporate systems and international communications operate in English, which is widely used in South African business environments. The Master Licensee or senior team member should be proficient in English. Local operations with customers and franchisees will be conducted in local languages.
About The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant franchise with 80+ locations worldwide. Founded by 3rd-generation restaurateurs, the brand delivers authentic Mediterranean cuisine through housemade preparations, fresh ingredients, and quality-driven execution in an accessible fast-casual format.
The brand is part of Big Flavor Brands and UFG (1,600+ franchise locations in 60+ countries), bringing Mediterranean culinary standards and ingredient integrity to casual-dining experiences that appeal to health-conscious, quality-focused diners.
The Master License Opportunity
A South African Master License grants you exclusive rights to develop The Great Greek across South Africa. You will open flagship locations and recruit, train, and support franchisees to build a Mediterranean restaurant network throughout the country.
Revenue streams include flagship location profits, franchise fees from each franchisee you recruit, and ongoing royalty income. South Africa's restaurant market growth, expanding casual-dining sector, and affluent urban consumers create favorable conditions for multi-unit franchise development.
Why South Africa?
South Africa's restaurant industry is growing rapidly and professionalizing. Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban, and other major cities are home to affluent consumers with high dining frequency and active interest in international cuisines and quality casual-dining concepts. The franchise model is expanding rapidly across South Africa, with experienced restaurant operators and entrepreneurs seeking proven growth-stage concepts.
Mediterranean cuisine aligns with South African health consciousness and affluent consumer interest in quality international dining. For The Great Greek, South Africa offers access to Africa's most developed restaurant market, established business infrastructure, and operators who value quality, differentiation, and operational excellence. As a South African partner, you position yourself to become the foundation for African regional expansion.
What this Master License Delivers
- Exclusive development rights across South Africa, Africa's largest and most developed restaurant market
- Access to affluent urban consumers with high dining frequency and interest in international cuisines
- Multiple revenue streams from flagship locations, franchise sales, and ongoing royalties
- A proven operational model with strong systems and differentiation in a growth Mediterranean category
- Alignment with South African consumer preference for quality, health-conscious, and international dining
- Potential foundation for broader African regional expansion opportunities
- Full training at UFG headquarters, plus on-site launch support
- Ongoing culinary, operational, and marketing support from the dedicated international team
Your Role as Master Licensee
- Open and operate flagship The Great Greek locations in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, and other major cities
- Recruit restaurant groups and entrepreneurs aligned with the brand's quality standards
- Provide training and ongoing support on culinary standards, housemade preparation methods, and brand execution
- Establish relationships with quality ingredient suppliers across South Africa
- Adapt marketing to South African consumer preferences while maintaining Mediterranean authenticity
- Ensure brand standards for food quality, ingredient sourcing, and guest experience across all locations
Who This Opportunity is For
The ideal South African partner is a restaurant group, hospitality company, or multi-unit operator with established networks in South Africa's restaurant industry and vision for continental African expansion. This could be an existing South African restaurant company seeking growth-stage franchise expansion, a regional hospitality group ready to scale nationally, or an entrepreneurial restaurant operator with vision for building at African scale.
Understanding of South African consumer preferences, business environment, and the ability to recruit quality franchisees are valuable. What matters most is operational capability, vision for growth, and capital for flagship development.
Training and Support
Training begins at UFG headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, covering operations, culinary standards, supplier management, franchisee recruitment, and brand positioning. UFG then provides on-site support during your South African flagship launches.Ongoing support includes access to proprietary culinary systems, supplier relationship guidance, marketing resources, franchisee development support, and regular strategic contact with the international team. UFG has experience developing restaurant franchises across African markets.
Take the Next Step
If you have the restaurant expertise, vision for African expansion, and capital to build The Great Greek into South Africa's premier Mediterranean casual-dining franchise, request our Master License Information Pack or schedule a confidential discovery call:The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill Opens 20 New Locations and Achieves Double-Digit Systemwide Franchise Sales Growth in 2025
2025 performance positions the rapidly growing Mediterranean fast casual for a strong year in 2026 – both in franchise development and sales
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill®, one of the fastest growing restaurant chains in the U.S., announced today its year-over-year performance in 2025 – a year that marked significant growth across the system and at the unit level. The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill opened 20 new restaurants in 2025, expanding its nationwide presence in key states like Florida, California, and Texas as well as entering new markets including New Mexico and Wisconsin. The brand also reported just under $100 million in systemwide sales last year, with franchise sales seeing a remarkable 41% increase year-over-year.
On the heels of this success, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is accelerating its growth momentum in 2026 and is well-positioned to have a standout year during its 15th anniversary. The brand is projecting over 20 openings by the end of the year, including in global markets like Egypt, Australia, and Canada. Notably, nearly half of The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill’s unit growth is being fueled by existing franchise owners, signifying operator confidence in the brand and its future.
“In 2025 we continued to set the foundation and this year we’re on track to surpass 100 locations and $150 million in systemwide sales – milestones that reflect the strength of our franchisees and the discipline behind our growth,” said Bob Andersen, President of The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill. “The Great Greek is designed to scale, with a model that delivers strong performance while protecting the quality and hospitality that define our guest experience. We know exactly what makes this brand successful, and we’re executing on that vision every day.”
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill attributes its compounding success to its dedicated franchise owners and innovation. The brand has been leveraging data-centric AI to better understand its guests and how restaurants are performing, turning insights into smarter decisions across marketing, operations, and menu execution. The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill experienced gains in off-premises dining in 2025 – including a 63% increase in catering sales – as well as with value-focused promotions like its Greek Feast family meals and $14.99 gyro combo. The launch of new limited time offers like its Greek Watermelon Salad and Loaded Feta Fries generated over 24,000 orders; the Watermelon Salad alone brought in 5,000 new guests.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is a better-for-you, premium fast casual concept delivering fresh, cooked-to-order Mediterranean cuisine with the friendliness and attention to detail of full-service hospitality. Its menu champions authentic Mediterranean recipes featuring high-quality ingredients, including freshly prepared proteins, house-made sauces and dips, and vibrant vegetables, allowing guests to enjoy flavorful meals without compromise.
The award-winning concept is part of Big Flavor Brands™, the foodservice division of United Franchise Group™ (UFG). It is continually recognized as an industry- and category-leading brand, being named as one of the top 10 fastest growing chains of 2025 by Technomic and recently appearing on Franchise Times’ Fast & Serious list of the smartest-growing franchise brands for the second year in a row.
“The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill represents exactly the kind of franchise opportunity today’s entrepreneurs are seeking – a differentiated, high-demand concept backed by a disciplined and scalable franchise model. Our focus has always been on equipping franchisees with the systems, support, and operational efficiencies needed to succeed, and The Great Greek delivers on that promise,” said Ray Titus, Chairman and CEO of UFG. “With strong unit-level performance, growing multi-unit ownership, and expanding domestic and international demand, we see tremendous runway ahead for franchisees to grow alongside a brand that is defining the future of the Mediterranean fast casual category.”
