The Soweto burger spot South Africa needs to help save

I went to Mofolo for a burger and left convinced I had just eaten at the kind of place South Africa should be fighting to protect.

And Fries is a proud township food business in Soweto, built by local creative and entrepreneur Lwazi Madonsela. On paper, it sells fried chicken burgers, wings and loaded fries. In reality, its so much more, this spot is led by a young South African taking a category people think they know and giving it care, flavour, identity, culture and proper pride.

The burger I had was excellent.

The brioche bun had that soft, buttery richness you want from a proper burger bun, but still held everything together. The fried chicken was crunchy, juicy and deeply seasoned, with the kind of bite that makes you pause mid-conversation, but doesn’t stop you eating. The creamy slaw brought freshness, the pickles cut through the richness, and the sauce pulled the whole thing together in that messy, indulgent, deeply satisfying way that only a great burger can.

If you go for the Aioli Burger, expect a brioche bun stacked with deep-fried chicken, cheese, creamy coleslaw, house pickles and signature aioli. If you want something with more heat and sweetness, the Spicy Ranch Burger leans into hot-honey fried chicken, cheese, lettuce, pickles and ranch sauce. And the fries are not there to make up space in the box. The loaded fries come piled with crispy chicken bits and creamy sauces.

This is the kind of food that makes you full, happy and ready to plan your next visit

But if we don’t act now, we might never be able to. 

This past weekend, while the And Fries team was celebrating their biggest corporate gig to date, hosting people as they watched Bafana Bafana, they received the kind of news no small business can prepare for. According to the team, a driver crashed into the store and fled the scene, leaving serious damage behind and putting the future of the business on life-support.

For a big chain, something like this is an insurance claim, a contractor and a temporary inconvenience. For a township business built brick by brick, it can be the thing that shuts the doors.

We talk endlessly in South Africa about entrepreneurship. We say we care about youth-owned businesses. We say we want township economies to grow. We say corporate South Africa must do more. But the real test of those words is what we do when someone like Lwazi, who is doing the difficult and unglamorous work of building something excellent where opportunities are needed most, suddenly needs help.

Lwazi is not new to building culture. His work as a creative, and podcaster has centred on storytelling, youth culture, fashion, entrepreneurship and the people trying to turn ideas into sustainable businesses. And Fries feels like a natural extension of that same instinct. The branding is considered. The packaging has intention. The buns are made fresh in-store. The sauces and spices have personality. The customer experience has been thought through.

Nothing about it feels lazy. Nothing about it feels like a shortcut.

That is what makes the damage so heartbreaking. We are not just talking about bricks, glass and equipment. We are talking about a dream. We are talking about jobs, suppliers, customers, momentum and the confidence that grows when people in a community can point to a local business and say: this is ours, and it is excellent.

And Fries deserves to reopen because the food is that good. But it also deserves to reopen because South Africa needs more stories like this to survive the hard parts.

So here is the ask.

Share this story. Tag the brands, builders, suppliers, insurers, banks, food platforms and companies that say they care about entrepreneurs. If you can donate, donate. If you can offer materials, labour, equipment, repairs, signage, legal help, insurance advice or corporate catering work once they are back up, do that.

Support does not have to come in one form. It just needs to come.

Donation details:
CAPITEC BANK
ENTREPRENEUR ACCOUNT
ANDFRIES
2518230137
470010

I will be following the rebuild and starting with my own personal donation. And when And Fries opens again, I hope South Africa shows up not just with sympathy, but with appetite. 

Because this is not charity. This is backing good food, good people and a township business that deserves to keep serving some of the best fried chicken burgers in the country, from Soweto to the world. 

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Disclaimer: This article highlights a local business facing significant challenges and includes information on how readers can support its recovery. Any donations, crowdfunding contributions or purchases are entirely voluntary. Time Out South Africa is not affiliated with, does not manage, and does not receive any financial benefit from any fundraising initiative mentioned in this article. Donations are made at readers' own discretion.