Tashas Group has struck a AED100 million ($27 million) joint venture with UAE developer Arada to open at least 10 new restaurants across the Gulf over the next two years. The deal bets that demand for premium dining is moving beyond the malls and downtown districts of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The partnership, shared exclusively with Arabian Business, will see the group’s flagship Tashas café concept and the soon-to-launch Café Sofi open in Sharjah, Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah and Nad Al Sheba. The first outlets will debut from December, including a Tashas at Arada’s Aljada community in Sharjah.
The deal reflects shifting demographics and tastes across the UAE, where population growth, the Golden Visa programme and master-planned communities are driving lifestyle spending in secondary cities.
“Tashas cafés are community-driven, all-day dining concepts catering to a broad demographic,” said Natasha Sideris, founder and chief executive of Tashas Group.
“In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, we are strategically located in residential areas, away from the high-end restaurant clusters. Our Abu Dhabi location is the Group’s top performer, consistently drawing strong footfall throughout the day. We believe these new markets are well-positioned to embrace our brands that are exclusive but don’t exclude.”
For Arada, the venture underscores its strategy to integrate F&B into its lifestyle-first developments. A spokesperson told Arabian Business that Aljada’s East Boulevard already hosts nearly 100 outlets and drew eight million paying visitors last year. “There is clearly significant interest in carefully curated lifestyle attractions with the right mix of F&B offerings,” the spokesperson said.
Aljada is Sharjah’s largest ever mixed-use project, spanning 24 million square feet.
Alcohol-free profitability
Unlike many of Dubai’s high-end restaurants, all the new venues under the Arada partnership will be non-alcoholic.
“Our cafés are focused on providing an all-day menu and experience which lends itself to more seatings and covers than alcohol-serving restaurants where people linger and stay longer, and we know it works,” she said.
“We do unbelievable margins without alcohol and some of our best performing stores in the Middle East such as Tashas in Abu Dhabi and Tashas in Jumeirah are alcohol-free. But it’s likely not an exportable model beyond the region.”
The strategy taps into a wider trend in the Gulf, where many lifestyle-led communities are built around wellness and family-oriented spaces. It also positions Tashas Group to serve a broad swathe of consumers, including women, families and international residents who are more comfortable in alcohol-free environments.
Café Sofi debut
The Arada deal will also bring Café Sofi, a new concept from Tashas Group, to the UAE market following its debut in South Africa later this year. Inspired by Sideris’s mother, Sophia, the brand is designed as a “deeply personal” culinary venture with a menu that combines classic salads, cakes and nostalgic dishes with a contemporary twist. The UAE launch is expected in 2026.
Expansion economics
While the joint venture carries a price tag of AED100 million, Sideris said returns will vary across brands and sites.
“That’s a difficult question as it is dependent on the brand as well as the size of the location. The targeted payback would also be dependent on a number of factors,” she said when asked about per-site investment and payback periods.
The company’s experience in Abu Dhabi, where Tashas has become its top-performing outlet, gives it confidence in Sharjah, Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah. These markets, traditionally overlooked for premium dining, are now seeing a surge in demand as developers position their projects as destinations in their own right.
The UAE’s food and beverage market is forecast to grow 18 percent annually between 2025 and 2030, reaching AED194 billion, according to Mordor Intelligence.
Arada’s hospitality arm already operates partnerships with brands including Boost Juice, Hungry Wolves and Em Sherif. The tie-up with Tashas Group, which operates nearly 40 restaurants internationally, adds a design-led, premium café concept to its portfolio.
“With this joint venture, we’re not just expanding our portfolio, we’re reinforcing our commitment to developing well-rounded communities that bring people together,” said Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, Arada’s group CEO.
The first opening under the new joint venture, Tashas Aljada, is scheduled for December 2025.
