Wimpy — Restaurant in Gauteng

Total Betrayal of the Wimpy Brand - Aggressive Management

FAR FROM A RELAXED EATERY

I have been a loyal Wimpy customer since the late 1970s. For nearly 50 years, my family has seen it as a reliable, family-friendly sanctuary. Our experience at the Douglasdale branch on 11 November 2025 was so profoundly disappointing it has ended that decades-long loyalty.

We came in for a quiet breakfast to relax after a highly stressful early morning. The problems started with the Wi-Fi (a long-term issue here, it seems) but escalated dramatically.

The jarring heavy rock music was completely at odds with the relaxing atmosphere we sought. A simple, polite request to change the channel or lower the volume was met with outright hostility from the owner, "Earl".

Instead of seeking a solution, he became sarcastic and confrontational. When I tried to reason with him, appealing to our shared age and the Wimpy heritage we both grew up with, he was completely dismissive. The situation escalated to an unacceptable level when Earl approached our table, muttered an obscenity under his breath, and pointed his finger at me in a threatening manner.

His son, displaying a cocky and utterly unprofessional attitude, only added fuel to the fire. We were left with no choice but to leave without eating, my wife having to intervene to de-escalate a situation that should never have occurred.

The core values Wimpy claims to stand for - "family, comfort, and community" - "a place to relax" were utterly betrayed by the franchise owner's aggressive and unprofessional behaviour. This is not the Wimpy I have supported for a lifetime.

I warned them I would report this, and their only response was a contemptuous "do what you want." So I am. I would strongly advise anyone seeking the classic, comforting Wimpy experience to avoid this branch entirely. The management here does not represent the brand you trust.

Management, I expect your standard corporate response below. However, no scripted apology can remedy the owner's threatening conduct and the profound failure of customer service we experienced.

Update: Following this review, the restaurant is HARASSING a family member and accessed our personal data without consent to INTIMIDATE us to remove this review. I have reported the matter to the franchise head office and the Information Regulator and SA Consumer regulator. This behaviour appears to contravene the Protection of Personal Information Act and the Protection from Harassment Act and constitutes intimidation.

Update: The response to my review is AI / Bot generated. Zero personal accountability. A rogue...

It's ok if you are a carnivore but as a vegan there is not much of a choice. There is a veggie burger that is mostly potato and is quite tasteless, would be nice if they could have the bean burger that I had in the Wimpy bar in Marlow in England....now that was delicious! Also it would be nice if they offered dairy free milk for the coffee and milkshakes. I also remember awhile back that they had dairy free freezo's that were quite delicious.....I am a vegan and I know that more and more people are following this diet trend for not only health reasons but environmental and ethical reasons too. Also there are lactose intolerant individuals and like me have to put up with either black tea or coffee or cold drinks loaded with sugar....about time restaurants in this country entered the 21st century and started catering for all needs and tastes....come on Wimpy...be innovative and show the rest of the fast food industry...

Myself and a friend went there for breakfast and when we asked for butter. We were presented with a cut block of margarine. When we asked for butter not margarine, the staff did not know the difference. Then a lady who claimed to be the manager came and said she would send someone to buy butter at Pick 'n Pay. Then we were told that the person couldn't find any butter in the shop. I went to go buy them a big block of butter and gave it to them and produced the slip to them with the understanding that I would be reimbursed. Then out of nowhere the owner came to our table and was very loud and rude to us. Saying we must take our butter and stick it. He said there would be no butter delivered until Friday. It was a Monday. Shocking how rude he was and he embarrassed...