Tigrus Restaurant Holding: Savoring Sustainability in Every Bite

The Integrator had an exclusive interview with Henrik Winther, Founder, Tigrus Restaurant Holding

Could you provide a brief overview of Tigrus Restaurant Holding and its founding principles?

We are a sustainable, family-friendly hospitality group that prides itself on operating eco-friendly restaurants, educating on leaving a better world behind for future generations to come. Being sustainable is a lifestyle choice for us, and it’s something we work on as a team daily, creating a positive, motivating, and uplifting work ethic for the whole team.

How has Tigrus evolved since its establishment in 2005, and what sets it apart in the restaurant industry?

Our growth and efforts have been a huge factor in evolving. Since we began in 2005, we’ve expanded into the Middle East and now plan to launch 25 restaurants in the next 4 years in the GCC. When we started, we were not carbon neutral. Our most significant evolution was understanding where we could cut back, and in three years, we reduced our CO2 emissions by 43%. We have now achieved a state of neutrality. We’re different from other hospitality brands as we have implemented sustainability into our lifestyle and company culture. It’s not something we do half-heartedly; it’s our tool for growth and expansion as it drives team morale and saves us money.

Tigrus Holding is known for its commitment to sustainability. Could you elaborate on the initiatives the company has taken to fully compensate for its carbon footprint and achieve zero waste since 2018?

We do many things. Some of my favorites include utilizing coffee ground waste to become plant food to feed foliage in the restaurants, switching our kitchen stoves to induction, and sponsoring wild cats around the world in locations where we open restaurants. We are sponsoring Siberian Tigers in Russia and snow leopards in Tajikistan and are in the process of doing the same in the UAE. I really enjoy taking my team on excursions to experience something new and take part in saving wildlife.

Tigrus recently launched Osteria Mario in Dubai Marina. What motivated the choice of location, and how does this new venture align with the company’s overall mission and values?

The marina is a bustling hotspot in Dubai. If you’ve visited our Marina branch, you’ll notice that we have an extensive terrace filled with live plants and the most beautiful view, which both align with our brand as we like to be in hotspots and have plenty of space for plants.

Could you share insights into the unique features that Osteria Mario offers in Dubai Marina?

As mentioned, we have an extensive terrace. Unusually, we also have a dine-in, out concept for cooler months as we have had bi-fold doors fitted on the ground level so we can open them up to give guests the same open plan view of the marina up and down in the restaurant.

Tigrus has ambitious plans to expand its chain to 100 restaurants. Can you share some insights into the company’s strategy for achieving this growth while maintaining its commitment to sustainability?

Having four restaurants in Dubai has meant our supplier database is expensive, so we’ve done the groundwork here to operate sustainably. We’re currently exploring how to do that in other GCC countries as we grow in this region. As mentioned throughout, sustainability is a lifestyle choice that we take everywhere we go.