It’s been two decades since Natasha Sideris has been at the helm of the brand called tashas. In that time, she’s opened branches of restaurants under several brands across multiple countries, including South Africa, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and England – with 15 more openings coming in the next year.
When she reflects on her journey, a theme that emerges through the conversation is that of authenticity. Whether she’s talking about her eponymous concept or the newer ones she’s brought to life, the guiding principle behind them is clear: restaurants must be rooted in something real and meaningful.
Natasha Sideris
Mozambican prawns at Flamingo Room
So it’s a little surprising to hear that hospitality was not her first choice. “I didn’t want to get involved in the restaurant business. I watched my dad working long and very hard hours, and hardly ever saw him. And I thought, I am never, ever going to do this business,” she recalls. Yet, after finishing school, she helped her father in one of his restaurants and fell in love with it.
In 2005, she opened the first tashas café in Johannesburg with a vision that still drives the brand. At the time, the landlord of the space pushed her to launch something new rather than take on yet another franchise. The concept was relatively new for its location and time: an all-day dining venue that wasn’t rooted in a particular cuisine. “The principles around creating the brand came from the fact that in South Africa there was only either mass chains or themed restaurants like Italian, Portuguese, Chinese – so I saw a gap in the market.”
She adds, “I had this vision to create a boutique-style café that exemplified accessible luxury; tashas feels luxurious, but it doesn’t exclude people.” This ethos has continued despite the brand’s expansion – with 17 in South Africa and six in the UAE. “Each store has its own unique signature which is really important because then it doesn’t feel like a mass-produced brand,” says Natasha.
Nala Café at Alserkal Avenue
Inside one of tashas cafés
When she expanded to Dubai, she brought two things with her: the brand and its people. “One of the conditions of opening with my partner in Dubai was that I wanted – for the first store – 75 per cent of the staff to be from South Africa. They had been working for me in South Africa for 10 years at that stage,” Natasha says, and continues, “Anyone can open a restaurant. Anyone can make a beautiful design. Anyone can come up with a menu. The people working in it have to produce the food and serve your guests. Do they understand what’s inside you, your spirit and your DNA? Today, about 25 per cent to 30 per cent in every single restaurant is South African.” Her company’s staff retention is proof of that philosophy. “In tashas, we have a 98 per cent retention rate. I have some people who’ve been working for me for 20 years.”
It’s clear to see that Natasha draws her culinary and business sensibilities from her upbringing.
The terrace at Bungalo34
Beetroot at Avli
“South Africa has such a rich tapestry and we’re a melting pot of different cultures: there’s Afrikaans food and African food, with those two as the most predominant cuisines. If I was going to have Afrikaans food, it would be a boerewors roll, or a bobotie or sosaties. For African food, morogo. I also love pap and stew.” While tashas doesn’t explicitly serve South African food, she says, “It is sort of a mix of things. We’ll draw a little bit of an ingredient from here and an ingredient from there. It’s not fusion food but we certainly have some flavours here and there.”
Natasha is also full of praise for the culinary success seen by South Africans. She notes, “I think what young chefs are doing – specifically in Cape Town – for the nation’s cuisine is very interesting. You’ve just got to look in London – where there are some award-winning South African restaurants there.”
She’s also firmly a part of this success story. While tashas remains the foundation of her career, Natasha has grown an impressive portfolio of concepts in addition to that: Flamingo Room, Avli, Bungalo34, Nala, Le Parc, Café Sofi, the soon-to-open Arlecchino by tashas and more.
Interiors at Avli
A drink from the tashas menu
Despite the international success and being active in an extremely competitive industry, Natasha remains grounded. For years, she didn’t even have Instagram on her phone. “There’s a very specific reason: performance anxiety, specifically in Dubai, is a very real thing. Operators can get very anxious. There’s a lot of competition. And if you get sucked into worrying about what everyone else is doing and trying to mimic what everyone else is doing, you will lose your identity.” Her solution is to remain rooted in her values and authenticity: great food, great service, nice interior, no gimmicks. “And that’s a formula that is hopefully going to stand the test of time.”
She points out that tashas as a brand is still relevant 20 years on, and her focus on timelessness also informs her thoughts about the fad of being obsessed with the next social media trend. “There’s a tendency now in hospitality for everything to be over-experiential, in my opinion. I think there’s a place in the world for old-school restaurateuring. There’s this fad about what’s going to be the next thing that’s going to be popular on social media, or what’s the next viral thing going to be. And the reality is that those things don’t last. They don’t have longevity. People can’t eat a photograph. They want to come in and have a beautiful experience that’s also grounded in something authentic.”
