I’ve been a fan of Pedro’s since the franchise opened their doors in 2018, preferring them over Nando’s. I liked their reasonable prices, and their food is quite delicious.

I’ve been such a fan of theirs that I’ve highly recommended them to all my foreign students, telling them that Pedro’s is affordable and that the food is great!

However, I’ve had to reassess my opinion of and preference for Pedro’s. Like with so many South African stores, the service of Pedro’s has dropped. Unfortunately, the quality is also not as high as before.

I’ve been sold old chips three times now; once, from their Rondebosch East branch, and twice from the Belgravia Road branch. Twice I’ve ordered a Sprinkle Burger – which should be a burger with chicken strips – from the Belgravia Road branch, and both times I’ve received a burger with a single piece of chicken fillet on it, which is not what a Sprinkle Burger is.

In addition, the last time I ordered the Sprinkle Burger I chose the Shisha BBQ sauce. I received a sauce that was not at all what I had asked for! The sauce was tangy and sour, tasting more like tomato sauce than BBQ sauce.

I didn’t bother too return the items, as It is far too much of an effort to return to the restaurant, and who can afford to waste petrol on an unnecessary trip? I used to check that the chips are fresh after I received the first old chips order, but I stopped doing that, to my regret.

I will not buy anything from Pedro’s ever again. I’d rather pay more elsewhere but receive what I paid for, and have the meal be fresh at that, too. It infuriates me when a company drops its standards once it becomes established. In fact, it should maintain or elevate their standards to ensure that their name and reputation remain impeccable. Regrettably, for most companies the bottom line is profit, even if it means cutting corners.

The service at the Belgravia Road branch of Pedro’s is deplorable. The staff are extremely noisy, shouting loudly at each other, and even talking at top volume. No wonder they get the orders wrong.

And lastly, what’s with the omission of the apostrophe in the name? (I chose to insert it in the name in this article.) Was it really too exorbitant to include the necessary punctuation mark in the name? Perhaps this is just another sign of the high level of illiteracy in South Africa. Pedros (sic) will no longer receive my patronage.