Natasha Sideris on Tashas Group’s Middle East rise

When Natasha Sideris opened the first tashas restaurant in Johannesburg’s Atholl Square in 2005, she never imagined it would grow into an international dining empire.  

Now based in Dubai, Sideris is leading one of the most ambitious expansions in global hospitality, taking her boutique approach to dining far beyond her native South Africa. 

Today, Tashas Group operates 40 restaurants across five countries. Of these, 18 are located in South Africa, 17 in the UAE, 3 in Saudi Arabia, 1 in Bahrain, and 1 in the UK. With 15 additional openings scheduled in the next 18 months, the group is on track for continued expansion across its core markets. 

“I always said I would never go into the food business,” Sideris laughs, recalling her childhood.

“My father was a restaurateur, and I saw how hard it was. The only day we spent with him was Mondays, when restaurants closed in South Africa. He’d take us to The Doll’s House for steak rolls and milkshakes. But otherwise, he was always working.” 

While studying psychology at university, her father convinced her to help out at his busy Fishmonger restaurant in Rivonia, a suburb in northern Johannesburg.

“I’d go to lectures during the day, my apron in the boot of the car. Then I’d work from four in the afternoon until one or two in the morning,” she recalls. “I fell in love with the adrenaline and the customer interaction.” 

“Working in restaurants combines everything I love: people, interiors, the way spaces make you feel, and of course, food. Growing up in a Greek household, food was always at the centre of everything.” 

The birth of tashas 

After years working with her father and running several restaurants, including a successful turnaround of a Nino’s outlet, an opportunity came knocking. A landlord who admired her work offered her a site if she created her own brand. Sideris brainstormed dozens of names before finally agreeing to name it after herself.

“The landlord kept saying, ‘Call it tashas.’ I was hesitant, but eventually I said, ‘OK, let’s go for it.’” 

From its very first day, tashas in Johannesburg’s upmarket Atholl Square was packed. That restaurant opening marked the beginning of the tashas journey and, by 2008, just three years later, Sideris sold a majority 51 per cent stake to JSE-listed food group Famous Brands.

“It was a good deal at the time,” she explains.

“I had two restaurants. They offered corporate governance, admin systems, procurement.” 

The partnership proved valuable in the early years, but eventually, Sideris realised she was doing all the heavy lifting.

“I was driving everything myself, especially once I moved to Dubai,” she says.

COVID-19 provided an unexpected opportunity.

“It was devastating globally, but for me, it allowed me to renegotiate and buy the business back. Now, it’s just myself, my brother Savva Sideris, and a minority partner who own the group.” 

The Dubai move 

In 2014, Sideris made the bold decision to open in Dubai – a move that would fuel international growth.

“South Africa was saturated. The UK and US had too many barriers to entry. Dubai made sense: close to South Africa, culturally familiar, with an incredible hospitality scene. Greeks and Arabs share a love for family, food, and generosity.” 

That move has proven transformative, given the global expansion her business has experienced. 

While many brands lose their identity as they grow, Sideris insists on maintaining what she calls “boutique at scale.”

“Every venue we open feels as carefully crafted as the first. We want customers to feel a genuine sense of place and hospitality wherever they visit,” she says. 

That commitment includes maintaining South African staff culture even as the business grows internationally.

“When we opened our first store in Galleria Mall here in Dubai, I insisted that 70 per cent of the staff had to be South African. Today we aim for 25 per cent, but South Africans and Zimbabweans are still a core part of our DNA.” 

A new phase of growth 

The next phase of growth will take the group deeper into international markets. Luxury concepts such as Flamingo Room by tashas, Avli by tashas (now open in both Dubai and Bahrain), and Bungalo34 are being positioned for major cities and beach destinations across Europe, the US, and Asia.

Meanwhile, the casual dining formats, especially NALA and tashas, are slated for broad expansion via franchising globally. 

New concepts launching this year include Arlecchino by tashas, a premium casual Italian offering, and Café Sofi, an ode to Sideris’ late mother, opening in Cape Town. 

The group’s expansion strategy balances flagship-owned venues with selective franchising. 

Sideris remains intimately involved in interiors, food, drinks and branding.

“I’m not involved in admin or training day-to-day: my teams are excellent at that,” she says.

“But I still sign off on every interior design, every dish, every beverage, every piece of marketing. It’s my passion.” 

“In the beginning, it was partly about money and partly for the love of it,” she reflects.

“Now, it’s about legacy and creating opportunities for our people. We’re building an ESOP (employee share ownership programme) because I want those who have been with us to benefit long-term.” 

She sums it up simply: “I want people to say we created something special, that we made a difference in people’s lives.”