Maps Maponyane, son of the veteran footballer Marks, is on cloud nine right now. The 29-year-old restauranteur’s burger joint, Buns Out, was included in Bloomberg’s list of the world best burgers.
Why is Buns Out one of the best burger joints in the world?
Maponyane, a man renowned for his comedic rhetoric on social media, humbly limited his reaction to the news of his burger joint being ranked among the best in the world, to a simple — yet powerful — “kancane, kancane,” which in English, translates to, ‘one step at a time.’
Buns Out will celebrate its first year in business on 29 September 2020, and already, the brand has garnered international acclaim. The flagship store is located in Linden, Johannesburg.
Five months into operations and business has boomed so much that the demand compelled the 29-year-old to expand and open the second Buns Out restaurant at Palm Boulevard, Gateway, in Durban.
According to culinary experts who ranked the world’s best burgers for Bloomberg, the business’ sharp expansion has more to do with the quality of Maponyane’s menu more than anything.
Popular celebrity chef, Lorna Maseko, fielded Buns Out as the best burger joint in South Africa due to its quirky brand identity as well as its inclusive menu.
“This new joint in suburban Linden is the first of actor and TV celebrity Maps Maponyanes. It has attracted a lot of media attention. There are about a dozen burgers, including vegetarian and vegan options. Quirky names include Is It Brie You’re Looking For?”
Lorna Maseko, celebrity chef
Buns Out is the only restaurant that was selected to represent South Africa in this list. While the premise of this list is subjective, it does allow Maponyane’s team a lot of room for creativity in coming up with a new tagline.
Also, from a public relations and marketing perspective, it will most certainly have an impact.
