The group currently serves 800,000 meals a year and employs around 100 people. As for the restaurants, they each generate an average of 1.5 million. in annual revenue with a profitability of around 20%. “We would never have imagined such a course,” says Samir Brahimi, the 45-year-old CEO at the helm of this small, thriving empire.
The group currently serves 800,000 meals a year and employs around 100 people. As for the restaurants, they each generate an average of 1.5 million. in annual revenue with a profitability of around 20%. “We would never have imagined such a course,” says Samir Brahimi, the 45-year-old CEO at the helm of this small, thriving empire.
This sharp increase stems from the launch of an innovative concept in the catering market: that of the all-you-can-eat buffet of Moroccan gastronomy. “Only Indian and Asian kitchens offered this type of service. I said to myself, why not apply this model to oriental cuisine, especially since couscous is one of the favorite dishes of the French,” recalls the entrepreneur.
The Moroccan buffet is a hit
This autodidact, who left the school benches at 16 without a diploma, did it by the power of his wrist. Originally from Agen, Brahimi settled in Pau in 1998. If half of the family works with textiles, the other is involved in catering. A sector that finally imposes itself on everyone in light of the crisis that is raging in the middle of fabric and clothing.
Samir, his sister and his brother-in-law founded a small restaurant in Lons in 2010, which employs five people. From the start, the Moroccan buffet formula “Escale au Maroc” is top notch and sold out.
Le Tajinier has developed the concept of the all-you-can-eat oriental kitchen buffet.
Zoe Donnot
“Get the concept right”
To satisfy demand, the team then moved to Billère in the former Nissan dealership, which offers more than 1,200 m². This is where the first Tajinier was born in 2013. Not surprisingly, success marries the restaurant’s new dimensions, to the point that the management is working on creating a franchise.
“We had to tie our concept together to be able to duplicate it elsewhere”, explains the managing director. The Lons restaurant will be a “pilot company” whose operation serves as a reference for the preparation of a 400-page operating manual.
With his know-how, Tajinier tested his formula at the franchise fair in 2014. A successful exam since the Béarnaise brand finished among the five finalists in the competition. This springboard encourages the opening of the first “certified copies” in Anglet and Tarbes. These two co-pilot restaurants announce an establishment in the Landes in Dax in 2015, before starting a series in the Gironde with establishments in Merignac, Ambarès and La-Teste-de-Buch. The Fontainebleau restaurant is the last to be born in June 2022.
Uncompromising with cleanliness
The next step for the group, to conquer urban areas with more than 100,000 inhabitants such as Lyon, Aix, Rennes, Versailles, Lille, Toulouse… “We want to export this little piece of Béarn nationally”, laughs Samir Brahimi, associated with his brother-in-law Said Boufarcha . Meanwhile, Tajinier, which has become the owner of its building, continues its development in Billère with an expansion planned for 2024. This project will house a power plant that will supply the restaurants. “We want to remain a franchise on a human scale with a family spirit,” emphasizes Samir Brahimi.
Zoe Donnot
This does not prevent rigor from being required. Here the phone must not ring more than three times in a vacuum and the boss is uncompromising with cleanliness. Despite everything, Tajinier ensures that it places importance on the well-being of its employees. This is evident from the purchase of a state-of-the-art robot whose mission is to transport piles of dirty dishes. Having joined the group to help it grow, Philppe Capy, Chartered Accountant, confirms: “with the tools we have, we have nothing to envy the biggest franchise companies”.
The secrets behind the Tajinier recipe: calibrated ingredients
The economic model is based on establishments on the outskirts of urban areas near business areas. They offer spacious locations, both for dining (minimum 600 m²) and parking. Because if the buffet formula requires less staff in the dining room (about fifteen people per seat), it must still compensate for the low prices by serving more meals than a traditional restaurant.
On the tables, tajines, couscous, grilled meat, soups, cakes… Customers are spoiled for choice: more than 48 dishes with an all-you-can-eat formula for €13.90 for lunch. “In the current environment, it is difficult to control the cost of goods. But the more the group grows, the more we will be able to weigh in with suppliers,” says Samir Brahimi.
In addition to the culinary experience, Tajinier wants to offer “a journey” to its customers. Thus, the franchise attaches paramount importance to the interior design. Stuccotures, carpets, hangings, trinkets … and a large oriental terrace. The restaurant uses Moroccan artisans. Franchisees trained in Billère are also required to recreate the same decoration in their business.
The atmosphere is completed by scents of diffused musk, music and oriental dance shows at the weekend and photos projected on the screens… enough to transport customers to a Moroccan riad for a meal. “It is an experience of the five senses”, insists Philippe Capy, who supports the development of the group in the process of entering into a collaboration with the Moroccan Tourist Office. With its arguments, Tajinier has a customer loyalty rate of “over 85%”, 2,250 ratings on Google and a certificate of excellence on TripAdvisor since 2015.
