Tashas off to a flying start in Dubai

TASHAS is expanding in the Middle East.

There are 14 of the upmarket yet casual restaurants in South Africa, with two more due to open this year — in the Mall of Africa in Johannesburg and Ballito in KwaZuluNatal.

Natasha Sideris, founder and managing executive of the brand, has always said there would be no more than 16 outlets in the country and by the end of this year, that will be the case.

Sideris now has her sights set on the United Arab Emirates. The first Tashas outside South Africa opened in Jumeirah in 2014 and has proved popular with emirate citizens and expats.

Dubai was chosen as the first step to international expansion because of its proximity to South Africa — especially in terms of overnight travel, a similar time zone and the fact that, as in South Africa, shopping malls are perceived to be entertainment destinations.

The success of the store in Jumeirah confirmed there was opportunity in the region, and this year, Sideris has been spending 70% of her time in the UAE preparing to open four more stores.

Sideris said Tashas Al Bateen, which she and her team opened in Abu Dhabi early last month, was doing “unbelievably well”, attracting ALL SET: Tashas founder Natasha Sideris aims to open 20 stores in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman queues every day.

Two more “classic” Tashas restaurants will open in Dubai in October — as well as a flagship concept store called the Flamingo Room by Tashas. This store will be on Turtle Lagoon, a turtle rehabilitation project at the Jumeirah Al Naseem resort, near the Burj Al Arab hotel.

The strategy is that the classic cafes in the region will not serve alcohol, adhering to the local culture and custom.

However, the “concept” stores — like The Flamingo Room by Tashas — will be licensed venues with entertainment.

There will be a retail component, with Collective by Charles Greig offering customers a selection of highend gifts.

All of the stores are designed by South Africans Neydine Bak and Dewald Struwig of B&SS Interior Design, who are now based in Australia. Sideris has worked closely with them for many years.

The plan is to expand into other parts of the Middle East, including Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.

“Once we’ve settled down and we have our five stores in Dubai ready and open I think we’ll be in a position to look at stores in other regions and countries,” said Sideris.

“We have been approached to go to places like Los Angeles, Sydney and London, but barriers to entry are huge. Rent, operation and labour costs are very high. The US and Australia are a bit too far and I’m a bit of a control freak. Ideally, I want to be able to get on a plane and get there or back to South Africa in eight hours.

“I’ve taken equity in the stores in Dubai because I want to maintain the high standards of the brand. Going forward and when we expand further afield, it might be difficult and we may have to look at a pure franchise model,” she said.

“I’m loving it. It’s exhausting but I’m trying to bring a little bit of South Africa to Dubai.

“So far, 20 to 30 staff have moved from South Africa to the UAE. They bring the Tashas culture and training with them. It is invaluable.”

Sideris believes that the biggest threat posed by the growth of the chain — which is rapid for this kind of restaurant — is the loss of the culture of the company.

The medium-term aim is to have 10 restaurants in the UAE and 10 in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman — and of course, the 16 in South Africa.

Although franchise operator Famous Brands bought 51% of Tashas in 2008, Sideris has remained steadfast in her “anti-franchise approach to franchising”, retaining individuality and style in the face of standardisation.

The first Tashas restaurant opened 12 years ago in Atholl, Sandton.