Burger King Somerset West opened on 23 October 2026 at 50 Victoria Street, bringing a new halal restaurant and drive-through to the Helderberg.
After following the development at 50 Victoria Street through months of construction, new signage and finishing work, I finally got to see the new Burger King in operation on Friday, 23 October 2026.
The opening brought a welcome change to a site I have been watching closely, along with many others in the Helderberg community. What was until recently a construction site is now a functioning restaurant, with customers coming in to order meals, sit down to eat and refill their drinks.
There was music playing through speakers outside the entrance, and balloons in Burger King’s familiar colours helped mark the occasion. Inside, the restaurant was already buzzing, with customers filling tables and moving between the ordering counters and drink stations.
The drive-through was also operational from day one, although it was quieter than the restaurant itself. One of the moments I managed to capture on camera was a customer arriving by bicycle and using the drive-through, an unusual sight that may well become a familiar one as more people discover the new branch.
The strange thing about opening day
There is something I always find fascinating about the first day a business opens. A building that was closed to the public yesterday suddenly becomes part of people’s everyday routines.
Watching the new Burger King, it struck me how quickly everything felt ordinary. Customers were ordering, eating, refilling their drinks and going about their business as though the restaurant had always been there. The construction work, the waiting and the anticipation had given way to the familiar rhythm of a busy fast-food restaurant.
For a development that has been visible from Victoria Street for months, seeing it finally operating was a milestone in itself.
Four months of construction
I spoke to Andiswa Manzi, the restaurant manager at Burger King Somerset West, about the work involved in getting the branch ready.
She said construction began towards the end of May and continued through June, July, August and September, making it about four months from the start of building work to opening.
“It took us a while,” Manzi said, describing the stress and hard work involved in getting the building ready.
She credited the team and support from the company’s head office for helping everything come together.
“With a great team and support from our head office people, it really went well, everything went well,” she said.
The branch has a team of 23 people, including Manzi, two supervisors and 20 crew members. The team includes both women and men, and they will be responsible for serving customers at the restaurant and drive-through.
A halal Burger King with a drive-through
One important detail for customers is that the Somerset West branch is halal. Manzi confirmed that the menu is fully halal, which means the restaurant does not offer bacon.
For customers looking specifically for bacon options, she said Burger King Strand N2 and Burger King Sanctuary, near Somerset Mall, offer alternatives.
The new restaurant serves breakfast from 07:00 until 11:00, after which the regular menu takes over.
Its opening hours are 07:00 to 22:00 from Monday to Thursday and on Sundays, while the branch stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Despite having a drive-through, it is not a 24-hour operation.
The drive-through adds another option for motorists travelling along Victoria Street, while customers who want to eat at the restaurant can order inside and take a seat.
A new option for Somerset West
The opening marks another visible step in the redevelopment of the former Caltex Auto West Delta site at 50 Victoria Street, which is also being developed to include an Astron Energy forecourt, a FreshStop convenience store and a Vida e Caffè. FreshStop is the convenience retail brand associated with Astron Energy forecourts.
I have followed the changes at the property from the first Burger King signage through the installation of the Astron Energy branding and the finishing work that brought the project closer to completion. Friday’s opening was the point at which one part of that development moved from construction updates to everyday use.
For Manzi, it is also the end of a long wait to welcome local customers.
“I would like to tell the community, finally the Burger King for them is in Somerset West, and it’s a halal one, so they can come,” she said.
“It’s been a long wait, and now it’s finally here. They can come and enjoy themselves.”
For those who have watched the site take shape over the past few months, the new restaurant is now open and serving customers at Victoria Street.
