Tashas Group is eyeing 20 new Nala restaurant openings across the GCC, turning its ‘fancy canteen’ concept into a scalable regional brand.

The expansion, planned for over the next five years, is backed by AED80 million (US$21.8 million) in funding from UAE property developer Arada.

Founded by Natasha Sideris in 2005, the group currently operates 47 restaurants spanning the UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Bahrain and the UK. Tashas describes the newborn concept as a combination of informal service and freshly prepared food, centred on a quick-service menu of breakfasts, salads, sandwiches, pies, pastries and desserts. 

Following its first Nala location at Alserkal Avenue in Dubai last year, two further sites are underway, including one at Mall of the Emirates in September and another at First Avenue Mall in Jumeirah in October.

The company says those upcoming launches will test whether the format is ready for a 20-site regional expansion, and whether the group can shift from individual destination restaurants to a concept designed for replication.

“We didn’t want to take what we already knew and simply make it faster,” Sideris described the thinking behind the brand, as expanding at that scale requires much more complex preparations.

Tashas already plotted longer-term global growth for Nala, though scaling the brand in the GCC is currently its top priority.