The woman behind Tashas

The woman who founded the Tashas franchise, Natasha Sideris, broke all of the rules in creating one of South Africa’s most renowned restaurant chains. 

While the Tashas name is well-known in South Africa today, Sideris had to battle loan sharks and work 14-hour days to become a successful restaurateur. 

Natasha Sideris, born in 1975, grew up learning the hospitality business from an early age from her restaurateur father. 

“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,” Sideris said.

“Growing up in a Greek family taught me that so much of the good life happens when we’re cooking and eating together.”

She worked part-time at her dad’s Fishmonger restaurant while studying BA psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand. 

“What I’d do is, in the mornings, I’d go to my lectures at the university. In the afternoons, I’d have my work clothes in the car, head off to Fishmonger in the evenings, and help him run his restaurants,” she told News 24.

Sideris spent years working in the fast food industry, but it wasn’t for her. She worked at Nino’s, an Italian-style restaurant franchise, helping the company open 12 new restaurants.  

In 2001, the 24-year-old bought her own branch with help from the bank and her family.

“It was a typical coffee shop, part of quite a big chain, and we were selling very little food, a lot of drinks, muffins, and toasted sandwiches.”

“I said ‘there’s something wrong here. People are coming for breakfast, lunch, and early dinner and we’re not selling real food’. I started to play with the specials and work on stuff, and suddenly, it shifted, and we started to sell a lot more food, coupled with the drinks.” 

“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 Tasha’s was born.”

In 2005, she opened the first Tashas in Atholl, Johannesburg, with money borrowed from a loan shark.

“In the early days, when I started at Atholl, if you read a business book, they’ll tell you ‘don’t overcapitalise. Don’t encumber yourself too much, and definitely, don’t go to a loan shark’. I did all of those things,” Sideris said.

She found herself with less money than she needed and more debt than she was prepared for. 

Initially, Sideris had planned on running the restaurant part-time while pursuing her studies in psychology even further – but the business was a success from the start. 

“I had this little romantic idea of having this café and going back and studying part-time. We opened the store, and it was a success from day one. Thank God.”

Her concept was simple: delicious, fresh food made to order; stunning environments inspired by the elegant, stylish cafés found in Paris, New York, and London; and engaging customer service. 

In the restaurant’s early days, she worked long hours to ensure that everything was to her standards. 

“I’m a very A-type personality, and I want to control everything, so I made sure that I watched every plate of food come out of the kitchen. I was in the bar, checking the drinks,” she explained. 

“I was speaking to the customers, and I literally worked from 05:00 until 19:00 every day for four or five months, without a single day off – just making sure that all of those elements came together.” 

“Whether I was going to do it part-time or full-time, I wanted it to be perfect. It’s part of my character. If I do something, I want to do it right.”

After month one, she knew that she was onto something good. 

“We were very blessed. We opened the doors, and we were packed. We started running a queue, and I really worked hard to make sure it was successful.”

Although the restaurant took off quickly, her debts meant that she didn’t draw a salary for almost two-and-a-half years.

Something else propelled her business forward in those early years: a partnership with 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, which is where Sideris met him.

“We became good friends. We just used to chat. He saw what I had done at Atholl, and later, I converted the store in Bedfordview, and that was it.”

Famous Brands owns 51% of the business, but Sideris still maintains creative control. She gained valuable skills from the partnership, and Famous Brands, in return, added a unique product to its collection.

She started the Tashas expansion by converting her Nino’s, before opening new restaurants in South Africa, focusing on slow and organic growth rather than a mass rollout.

The interior design and menu choices varied in every location, giving each branch a sense of individuality and allowing the customers to have a different experience in each store. 

The distinct décor and signature menus are determined by the area and customer base, from the Dutch look and feel in Pretoria to the Parisian-style Le Parc in Hyde Park, Forbes explained.

In 2014, Sideris expanded the brand to Dubai with the help of her brother, Savva. This entailed a setup cost of around R30 million, and flying over 30 South African staff members, which was the really expensive part. 

In 2020, Famous Brands announced that it sold its controlling 51% stake in Tashas back to the founding Sideris family.

“I think Famous Brands was a great partnership. It taught me a lot about corporate governance. I’m a creative and a restaurateur at heart. I’m not really an admin or a corporate type of person,” Sideris told BizNews.

“I didn’t know how to read a balance sheet or do a business plan. Everything was done from the gut. I think that helped bring a lot of process into the business. But after that point, there was very little value that they could add only because their business models were totally different.”

“I’ve got my independence. I don’t have to report to anyone. But also, I feel that all of the efforts that my brother and I put into the business, we are fairly rewarded and we’re not having to share it with someone who isn’t adding any value.”

Today, the group has 16 locations in South Africa, 6 in the UAE, and has recently added a Tashas in London.

Although Sideris always wanted to open a restaurant in London, the city’s competitiveness, along with its high rent, labour, and setup costs, made her delay the plan until the business was more established.

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

“I’m very ambitious, and I would like to continue growing our portfolio across the world. We would love to see a Flamingo Room in Paris, for example,” she said.  

“But having said that, I do think there comes a point where something loses its distinctiveness. For us, it’s about knowing where that point is, and we’ve done that really well so far.”

“We don’t want to oversaturate, and we want to make sure that what we are doing is really well. While the plans are ambitious, they will always be measured against that barometer.”