Business

The woman behind the South African restaurant taking the world by storm

Kirsten Minnaar • 5 April 2026

With restaurants open across five countries, including South Africa, the UAE and the UK, Natasha Sideris and her restaurant brand, Tashas, are taking the world by storm.

Over the last 20 years, Sideris has transformed South Africa’s dining market, and she has even more plans to keep expanding globally.

Born in 1975, Sideris was exposed to the hospitality industry from an early age. Not only was her father a restaurateur and hotelier, but, coming from a Greek family, food always had a place in her household.

“My fondest childhood memories were formed at my father’s side in his restaurants, in our kitchen at home and at the table sharing meals elbow-to-elbow with loved ones,” she said.

“Growing up in a Greek family taught me that so much of the good life happens when we’re cooking and eating together. I learned early on that food is almost always better when shared.”

Even so, Sideris swore she would never work in the hotel industry and even went to study psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand.

During this time, she would work part-time at her father’s restaurant, Fishmonger. It wasn’t long before she fell in love with the industry.

In 2001, at only 26 years old, Sideris made a bold move and purchased her own Nino’s restaurant with help from the bank and her family.

She had worked for the Italian-style restaurant franchise for years, even helping them open 12 new franchises, before opening her own store.

However, she soon realised that something was amiss. Even though they were selling a lot of drinks and snacks, such as muffins and sandwiches, they weren’t selling any real food.

She played around with the food specials, and suddenly, there was a boom in their food sales. This made it clear to Sideris that there was something missing in South Africa’s food space.

“Then I saw a gap in the market, a definite gap in the market for really great breakfasts, good lunches, a space that’s classy and contemporary but still quite relaxed, and then Tashas was born,” she told BizNews in 2015.

Founding Tashas

In 2005, Sideris opened the first Tashas in Atholl, Johannesburg. Doing so was a major risk, and left her overcapitalised, overencumbered and indebted to a loan shark.

However, she had managed to tap into something completely innovative in South Africa’s dining market. The Tashas concept combined her love of food and hospitality with her passion for beautiful interiors.

The food was made to order using high-quality ingredients, and the cafes were inspired by the elegant, stylish cafés found in Paris, New York, and London.

At the start, Sideris was working 14 hours a day, with no days off, checking every plate and drink to make sure they were perfect.

Fortunately, the business quickly took off, and customers were soon queuing out the door to secure a seat at the restaurant.

It wasn’t long before her burgeoning business caught the eye of JSE-listed company, Famous Brands, which franchises well-known dining chains such as Steers, Wimpy, and Mugg & Bean.

The group’s former chief executive, Kevin Hedderwick, was a very good customer at Nino’s, where he befriended Sideris.

Impressed by what she had done with her Atholl store, Famous Brands acquired a 51% stake in the business, though Sideris still retained creative control. In 2020, she bought back her Tashas stake from Famous Brands.

Going global

Tashas concept for Battersea Power Station, London

Through the years, Sideris had slowly started expanding across South Africa. One notable feature of the business is that every branch is slightly different, while maintaining the signature Tashas feeling.

Every restaurant features its own unique interior decor style and signature menu, which sits alongside the classic menu.

There are Tashas that evoke the tapas bars of Spain, the classic bistros of fashionable Paris, the spice-infused kitchens of the Levant, the bustling New York deli, and many more.

One of the biggest milestones for the business came in 2024, when Sideris expanded into Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the help of her brother, Savva.

This expansion entailed a setup cost of around R30 million and the cost of flying over 30 South African staff members.

Speaking on The Money Show with Stephen Grootes, Sideris recalled feeling really fearful that this opening would not work. “Day three, we hardly had any customers,” she said. “And on day four, we just got totally slammed.”

In late 2023, Tashas achieved another major milestone when it opened its first location in the United Kingdom, at London’s Battersea Power Station.

When asked if she has any plans to open more locations in the United Kingdom, Sideris explained that they have currently fulfilled the market’s demand.

“We’ve only got the one,” she said. “It’s great for us. We serve hundreds of people a day, got an amazing team there.”

Even though Tashas has been very pleased with the reception they have received upon opening in the country, particularly from other South Africans, the trading environment makes opening new restaurants very difficult.

“It’s very difficult to make money in the United Kingdom, and if we could make more margin, we would have already expanded,” she said.

Food and labour costs, in particular, are making the trading environment increasingly “brutal” in the United Kingdom. “I think it’s become more and more difficult for restaurants to make money, certainly for us.”

However, Sideris did not completely rule out the possibility of Tashas opening new locations in the United Kingdom, saying they would consider partnering with a larger food group in the country who could help them scale.

Conflict in the Middle East

The Tashas Group has grown to 45 locations across 5 countries and counting, making it a South African success story of note.

Beyond Tashas, Sideris also founded concepts such as Flamingo Room by Tashas, Avli by Tashas, Le Parc by Tashas, and Galaxy Bar, which was recognised among the world’s top 50 bars in 2020 and 2021.

Sideris said that in 2026, the group will open another 16 venues. Unfortunately, they have also faced some headwinds recently.

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has caused many safety concerns for individuals in the region and made it difficult for businesses to continue trading.

“You’re staring into the abyss and thinking, wow, I’ve spent the last twenty years building this business with blood, sweat and tears,” Sideris said.

“Everyone’s put their whole livelihood into it, and there’s such a strong work ethic in our company, which I’m so grateful for. And then all of a sudden, overnight or in a couple of months, you can lose it.”

Despite all the uncertainty the region is facing at the moment, Sideris said she remains optimistic about the UAE, particularly given how the government has handled the conflict.

“And now, when this is all over, and the war will end, and the UAE will thrive again, this will be another one of those things where we say, ‘We got through it’,” she said.