Steers

Local burger chain Steers sits airside in departures at DUR.

You’ll find Steers in the departures area at King Shaka International Airport, after security, serving standard South African fast-food burgers and fries on the go. It runs through much of the flight day, roughly matching morning and evening bank times, so you can usually grab something before both early domestic hops and later regional flights. This is a quick queue-order-counter-pickup setup, closer to mall food court than sit-down restaurant, and it works when you just want something familiar before boarding.

Pricing lands in typical airport-fast-food territory: expect a burger combo with chips and a drink to sit in the mid double digits in rand, more than a city branch but not shocking by airport standards. The menu mirrors off-airport Steers outlets with beef burgers, chicken options, chips, and milkshakes, so regulars from Johannesburg or Durban suburbs know exactly what they’re getting. Portions track with the mainland stores too, so one combo usually covers a full meal rather than just a snack before a two-hour domestic sector.

If you order, the safest bet is a straight beef burger combo with Steers chips and their signature seasoning salt, plus a soft drink in a 330 ml or 500 ml size. The patties come cooked through, fast-food style, not medium, and the chips often arrive hot thanks to steady turnover in the departures rush around the 06:00–09:00 and 16:00–19:00 waves. Skip overcomplicating your order with too many add-ons; it slows things down and doesn’t change the quality much. Vegetarian options are limited to sides and possibly a veggie burger, depending on the day’s stock.

Service runs on a take-and-go rhythm, so plan for 5–10 minutes from payment to pickup outside of bank times, and up to 15 minutes when three or four flights offload passengers into departures at once. Seating nearby is shared with the rest of the departures food court, so you’re not tied to the counter area once you get your tray or takeaway bag. Final tip: check your gate number before you order and factor in a 5–7 minute walk to the furthest domestic gates so you’re not sprinting with a burger box at last call.