Tahina: Redefining Grab-and-Go with Tech, Taste, and Sustainability

Tahina, founded by hospitality veterans Emilio Malik and Javier Troitino-Ramos, is making a bold move in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) market as customers increasingly seek food that is quicker, healthier and more sustainable. This London-based brand reinvents the grab-and-go concept, providing convenience without sacrificing authenticity, taste or health, by combining flavours and ingredients from Mediterranean street cuisines with state-of-the-art technology.

Tahina is built on three core pillars: Smart, with cutting-edge autonomous technology; Fresh, offering daily-prepared, health-conscious meals; and Food, delivering bold, globally inspired flavours with a strong commitment to sustainability. Every dish is seasonal, Mediterranean-inspired and made with natural, fresh ingredients that are ethically sourced from nearby vendors whenever feasible. Chefs and nutritionists create each menu item daily to guarantee both flavour and nutritional value, from breakfast to lunch and dinner.

Watch the short video to see how Tahina blends cutting-edge technology with Mediterranean flavours to create a seamless, future-ready dining experience.

Autonomous Retail Meets Culinary Craftsmanship

Tahina uses cutting-edge autonomous retail technology to deliver food inspired by traditional cooking. Powered by AI and high-speed cloud computing, its flagship stores operate in a seamless, cashierless format — customers simply tap in with a card or loyalty app, select their items and walk out. Staff remain on-site to keep shelves stocked and ensure a smooth, high-quality experience.

A centralised production kitchen behind the scenes guarantees uniform quality and productivity at every site. Tahina can match or surpass the service speed of rivals like Pret A Manger and Farmer J thanks to this model, which also reduces labour requirements by up to 67% and eliminates the need for in-store preparation. Tahina can also offer prices that are up to 20% to 30% lower.

Tahina coffee is another highlight of the brand’s offering — working directly with farmers in Ethiopia and the government to promote diversity and sustainability in the region while championing Arabica coffee beans to create Tahina’s own signature Arabica coffee blend.

Sustainability with a Competitive Edge

At Tahina, environmental responsibility is not a side project, it is part of the brand DNA. Each of its operations is designed to minimise environmental impact and maximise customer benefit. Packaging is a closed loop recycling system, meaning that materials are reused rather than recycled. Any surplus food is either donated to charities supporting vulnerable communities or converted into green electricity, which converts potential waste into a resource. This eco-conscious approach perfectly reflects Tahina’s goal of making eating well easy, enjoyable, sustainable and affordable for everyone, every day.

Sustainability is just the other half of the story. Tahina also offers a strong competitive advantage in the fast-growing premium QSR market, where demand for healthy, ethically sourced meals is increasing rapidly. The company plans to invest further in technology, developing faster, more adaptive solutions that align with changing customer habits while integrating more advanced tech and app-based experiences.

Tahina uses technology and operational innovation to overcome these challenges while many competitors struggle with high operating costs, staffing shortages and slow service. The production kitchen is centralised and ensures consistent quality, reduces on-site preparations and allows the brand to run with a fraction of the staff required by traditional formats.

This operational effectiveness opens up a number of significant benefits. By processing several transactions at once, Tahina can provide exceptional speed of service that keeps up with the fast-paced demands of its customers. Quicker rollouts in strategic locations are made possible by its capital-efficient expansion model, which requires fewer in-store equipment and smaller footprints while preserving profitability. Along with optimising inventory and cutting waste, the incorporation of AI-powered demand forecasting guarantees that popular items are always available.

Tahina is positioned to compete with and surpass more established players thanks to the scalable blueprint for quick market expansion created by these combined strengths. Tahina demonstrates that providing outstanding value to customers and being environmentally conscious need not be mutually exclusive in the future of quick service dining by combining sustainability and operational excellence. Both objectives are not only feasible in Tahina’s world, but they are also inextricably linked.

Growth Plans, Investment Potential, and a Future-Ready Brand

Tahina is driven by a bold vision that reaches well beyond its first store. The company plans to open 10+ locations and earn £10M+ in revenue within three years and to expand to more than 20 stores and create a £100M+ business within a decade. The brand also plans to expand into business parks, retail parks and amusement venues, broadening its market presence. A strategy that combines operational efficiency, advanced technology and market agility supports this ambitious path.

The Tahina Capsule, a completely self-sufficient, modular retail space that can cater to micro-locations like workplaces, educational institutions, medical facilities, sports arenas and entertainment venues, is among the most innovative ideas currently under development. These capsules can provide the same fresh, high-quality meals as full-size restaurants with less space, staff and funding needed thanks to the brand’s centralised kitchen network. This flexibility and portability allow for quick market penetration in unexplored markets.

Tahina’s expansion strategy presents a compelling investment opportunity, backed by a scalable business model that drives strong margins and sustainable long-term growth through data-led operations, cost-efficient rollouts, and optimised labour needs.

Tahina is not only reacting to current trends but also influencing the direction of the industry as it stands in a QSR market that is expected to grow to £34.3B in the UK by 2029. Tahina is setting the standard for the future of quick-service dining by combining autonomous retail technology, globally inspired cuisine and a strong commitment to sustainability. For customers, it means speed, quality and ethics on a plate. For investors, it represents a stake in one of the industry’s most inventive and forward-thinking companies.

Moreover, Tahina was a finalist in the 2024 Retail Tech Innovation Hub (RTIH) Innovation Awards, earning the runner-up spot in the “Most Promising Innovation” category. 

With its ambitious goals, technologically advanced business model and steadfast dedication to sustainability and quality, Tahina is not only creating a restaurant brand but also shaping the way people will eat on the go in the future.

For more information, visit their website – https://www.tahina.co.uk/

For press inquiries: hello@tahina.co.uk