How a family-owned catering company became one of Durban’s most trusted names.
The journey
In 1996, in the newly free South Africa, McAllister’s opened as a small coffee bar on Aliwal Street in Durban (now Samora Machel). The plan was simple: light meals and warm service. It wasn’t long before the food itself became the draw, and the shop couldn’t hold all the customers.
The coffee bar grew into full catering, and McAllister Catering became one of Durban’s trusted names in event catering. Corporate functions, weddings, family celebrations: what people are celebrating changes, the standard behind the food doesn’t. Nearly three decades later, in the middle of Heritage Month, it’s worth looking back at how one shop on one street turned into a family-owned catering company that has fed Durban ever since.
McAllister Catering values repeat business from customers who’ve experienced its reliable standards firsthand. Sharon Harris from Omniflex wrote after a lunch, “there were so many compliments, and everything went like clockwork.” Repeat business is built on the same commitment to quality whether the event is a small lunch or a full wedding.
Thirty years in, consistency is the real measure of catering excellence.
The people who built it
Gugu, on the team for 26 years, and Happy, on the team for 30 years, have been part of McAllister’s for nearly the company’s entire life, going back close to the Aliwal Street days. McAllister Catering is proud to have kept staff members for this long, and just as pleased that they’ve enjoyed the journey as much as the company has. A family-owned catering company only stays operational if the people inside it stay too, and that kind of loyalty is its own reflection of integrity and commitment to doing things properly: treat people well, and they choose to stay. Greg and Carol have built a team, not just a workforce.
Looking to October
October is a big milestone, so join us in celebrating 30 years of exceptional hospitality, and enquire about our event catering services and menu offerings.
October isn’t the only date filling up the calendar. Year-end functions are already coming in, and this year’s year-end menus are worth a look if you’re planning anything before December. Whether it’s a wedding, a corporate function, or a year-end party, the same team and the same standard show up every time.
Ask Michele Day, who wrote after an event with Hapag-Lloyd Africa that the team had “out done yourselves again… the best, tastiest, freshest, divine food of top quality.” Or Kezia Sheik of Plus94Research, who described a function built on “a seamless blend of great food and outstanding service,” with a team that “went the extra mile.” That same standard is on offer for you, every day.