David and Goliath court battle averted over cups of coffee

IT WAS going to be a vicious, David and Goliath-style court battle between the billionaire founder of one of the largest food franchise companies in the country and a small business owner.

Accusations of nepotism, claims of a conspiracy to steal the business and hints at deep financial mismanagement were at the centre of the urgent court motion set down this week between the manager of Tashas café in Morningside and former Famous Brands director Panayiotis “Peter” Halamandaris.

But thanks to a crowded coffee shop and one very late advocate, the case appears to have been settled out of court – over a few cups of coffee.

George Betsakos, the manager and 50% owner of Tashas in Morningside, was at the centre of the dispute, accused by Halamandaris of poor management and putting the business in jeopardy.

It was in November last year that Halamandaris launched the motion with the High Court in Joburg to remove Betsakos as a director, claiming that Betsakos was preventing Halamandaris from “participating meaningfully in the management” of the business.

Halamandaris said each of the owners had radically differing ideas on how to run the business, and that Betsakos had prevented him from accessing the café’s bank accounts.

“The respondent (Betsakos) carries out highly questionable business practices and is clearly not managing the business properly and particularly not its financial administration, as evidenced from his failure and refusal to bank cash takings,” Halamandaris’s application papers read.

However, Betsakos has denied the claims, saying in his written response to the court that Halamandaris should be forced to sell his 50% shareholding to Betsakos. He has insisted that, under his management, the Morningside branch of Tashas has become one of the most profitable in the franchise.

When contacted by Independent Media, Betsakos said an out-of-court settlement had been arranged.