Chefs Warehouse Group

What Chefs Warehouse Group does

Chefs Warehouse Group is a privately-held, Cape Town-based hospitality company founded in 2010 by chef Liam Tomlin and his wife Jan Tomlin. The group operates a portfolio of approximately seven restaurants and a drinks lounge across Cape Town, Constantia, Hout Bay, Franschhoek, and Stellenbosch, with its first international restaurant confirmed to open in Hamburg, Germany in March 2026. The group pioneered the Tapas for Two sharing-dining concept in 2014 at its original Bree Street flagship and has since built a multi-concept portfolio spanning pan-Asian (The Red Room at Belmond Mount Nelson), modern Indian (Thali), farm-to-table (Maison in Franschhoek), Asian-inspired fine dining (Beau Constantia), Basque-inspired (Cantina in Stellenbosch), and coastal tapas (Tintswalo Atlantic).

The company generates revenue from multiple streams: table-service dining across its restaurant locations (the dominant revenue source), digital gift vouchers starting at R500, packaged B2B and consumer food products under the CW Essentials brand (CW Temptations snacks, ready-to-drink Negroni cocktails, caviar), branded merchandise sales through the CW Shop, wine tastings at Maison Estate (R100-R150 per person), and private events at the Room 91 venue. Customer acquisition is direct-to-consumer via the company website, the Dineplan booking platform, Instagram, and food media coverage. The target segment is affluent food enthusiasts in the Western Cape, supplemented by boutique hotels and guesthouses supplied through the CW Essentials wholesale channel and a consulting relationship with Singita luxury game reserves. The group is supported by approximately 350 employees and has received recognition through Eat Out awards, La Liste, and the JHP Gourmet Guide.

Name

Chefs Warehouse Group

Legal name

Chefs Warehouse Group

Website

https://chefswarehouse.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chefs Warehouse Group is a privately-held, Cape Town-based restaurant group operating seven restaurants and a drinks lounge across South Africa under founder Liam Tomlin, with its first international location opening in Hamburg, Germany in March 2026. The group serves affluent diners through diverse cuisine concepts and supplements dining revenue with packaged B2B products, retail, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant and Hospitality Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Special Food Services (7223), Other Food Manufacturing (3119), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants (THAFACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Chef/Restaurant Meal Boxes & Marketplace Prepared Meals (CRAHAJAI), Private Chef & In-Home Dining Services (HSACAGAE)

Keywords

• Restaurant dining
• Fine dining
• Tapas cuisine
• Packaged snacks
• Hospitality services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Revenue generated from table service dining at multiple restaurant locations offering set menus, tapas-style sharing plates, and à la carte options. Customers pay per meal with discretionary service charges applied at some locations.
2. Gift Vouchers: Digital and printable gift vouchers available in any value from R500, redeemable at selected restaurants. Payment processed via credit card.
3. CW Essentials Products: Sale of premium packaged snacks (CW Temptations range), ready-to-drink cocktails (Essentials Negroni), and caviar products to hotels, guesthouses, and consumers.
4. Retail Shop: Sale of branded merchandise including housewares, apparel (caps, t-shirts, aprons), and cookbooks from the Chefs Warehouse shop.
5. Wine Tasting: Wine tasting experiences offered at Maison estate, with four wines for R100 or six wines for R150 per person.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chefs Warehouse Group operates a portfolio of chef-driven restaurants in and around Cape Town, South Africa, built around the proprietary Tapas for Two sharing-dining concept. The group serves globally-inspired cuisine across multiple restaurant concepts and also sells packaged food products (CW Temptations snacks, Essential Negroni cocktails, caviar), branded merchandise, gift vouchers, and wine tasting experiences. Customers include walk-in diners, reservation-based diners, hospitality trade buyers, and retail consumers of packaged products.

Product overview

Chefs Warehouse Group is a portfolio of seven restaurants and a drinks lounge operating in and around Cape Town, South Africa, plus one international location opening in Hamburg, Germany in March 2026. Founded and led by internationally renowned chef Liam Tomlin and his wife Jan Tomlin, the group also operates CW Shop (retail merchandise), CW Essentials (packaged food products including snacks, ready-to-drink cocktails, and caviar), and gift voucher services. The restaurants include: Chefs Warehouse & Canteen (original flagship tapas restaurant), Merchant Bar & Grill, Room 91 (event venue), Thali (modern Indian), Chefs Warehouse at Maison (Franschhoek farm-to-table), Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia (Asian-inspired fine dining), The Red Room (pan-Asian at Belmond Mount Nelson), Cantina (Basque-inspired in Stellenbosch), and Chefs Warehouse at Tintswalo Atlantic (coastal dining). The group also operates The Bailey complex with three concepts. A Cookery School was the group's original venture in 2010 before pivoting to restaurants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CW Temptations: A luxurious range of 14 delicious snacks created for the hospitality industry, including shortbread, rooibos fudge, dark chocolate almonds, trail mix, sweet potato crisps, rock salt crisps, cranberry & almond nougat, mini fruit dainties, grass-fed beef snapsticks, dark chocolate caramels, spiced mixed nuts, milk and dark chocolate bars, and waygu droewors.
• Essentials Negroni
• CW Essentials Caviar

Products and services

• Chefs Warehouse and Canteen Original flagship restaurant on Bree Street, Cape Town, pioneering the Tapas for Two concept. A classic reinvented by Liam and Jan Tomlin featuring globally-inspired tapas bites with fun, down-to-earth dining for individual diners seeking premium casual dining.
• Merchant Bar and Grill Modern old-school restaurant at 91 Bree Street, Cape Town featuring an honest return to kitchen basics, provenance, and the four seasons with a menu for today and a cosmopolitan bar. Targeted at diners seeking premium South African cuisine.
• Room 91 Chic designated event space overlooking Bree Street with Cape Town views, offering Chefs Warehouse food for next-level business or private occasions. Targeted at corporate clients and private event organizers.
• Thali Modern Indian restaurant on Park Road, Cape Town, inspired by the depth and breadth of Indian regional cooking. Meals are composed of small dishes served in three generous courses. Walk-in only, no reservations accepted. Targeted at diners seeking authentic regional Indian cuisine.
• Chefs Warehouse at Maison Farm-to-table restaurant in the Franschhoek Valley, co-venture between Liam Tomlin and chef David Schneider. Features a four-course Tapas for Two menu exploring themes of garden, sea, street, and family. Targeted at wine valley diners and visitors seeking premium local cuisine.
• Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia Restaurant suspended over Constantia's sloping vineyards, jointly owned by Liam Tomlin and acclaimed chef Ivor Jones. Features fresh, bold flavors presented tapas-style with Asian-inspired cuisine in an informally chic modern space. Targeted at diners seeking premium Asian-inspired fine dining in vineyard setting.
• The Red Room Smart, sophisticated pan-Asian underground restaurant located at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel. Inspired by Hong Kong's melting pot, features true-to-origin dishes from China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia as small plates, dim sum, Robata Grill, and Peking Duck. Targeted at diners seeking premium pan-Asian cuisine in a luxury hotel setting.
• Cantina by Chefs Warehouse In partnership with Le Grand Domaine and rooted in Stellenbosch, Cantina is inspired by the flavors and spirit of the Basque region, celebrating the joy of sharing with paella, Spanish-inspired small bites, and an extensive global wine list. Targeted at wine valley diners and Stellenbosch visitors.
• Chefs Warehouse at Tintswalo Atlantic Restaurant dramatically perched above the Atlantic coastline near Chapman's Peak within the Tintswalo Atlantic boutique hotel. Features Tapas for Two menu inspired by local small producers and seasonal ingredients including white clams, artichokes, and smoked Stanford cheese. Targeted at diners seeking premium coastal dining.
• Chefs Warehouse Hamburg Canteen and Bar International restaurant opening in March 2026 at Am Sandtorkai 29, Speicherstadt Hamburg, Germany. First international location for the group, expanding the Tapas for Two concept to the European market.
• CW Essentials Company created by Liam Tomlin and Ivor Jones that harnesses chefs' creativity to conceptualize and curate bespoke snack products for the hospitality industry. Includes CW Temptations (range of 14 snacks), Essential Cocktails (ready-to-drink Negroni), and Caviar (sustainably sourced Russian Sturgeon caviar in 30g, 50g, and 100g sizes). Over 90% of packaging is biodegradable and recyclable. Targeted at boutique hotels, guesthouses, and retail consumers.
• CW Shop Online and physical retail shop offering carefully curated items including bespoke housewares (Mervyn Gers ceramic glasses), CW branded merchandise (caps, t-shirts, aprons), and Liam Tomlin's cookbooks. Targeted at consumers and brand enthusiasts.
• Gift Vouchers Digital and printable gift vouchers available in any value from R500, redeemable at any Chefs Warehouse restaurant. Payment processed via credit card with secure instant delivery via email or printable at home. Targeted at gift purchasers.
• Wine Tasting at Maison Wine tasting experiences offered at Maison estate in Franschhoek. Four wines for R100 or six wines for R150 per person. Targeted at wine enthusiasts and Franschhoek visitors.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CW Essentials (Internal Collaboration)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborative business between Liam Tomlin and Ivor Jones (expanded to include David Schneider) creating CW Essentials to supply premium packaged snacks to boutique hotels and guesthouses.
• Tintswalo Atlantic Boutique HotelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Chefs Warehouse concept operates within the Tintswalo Atlantic boutique hotel perched above the Atlantic coastline at Chapman's Peak, creating a synergistic luxury seaside dining experience.
• SingitaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Liam Tomlin serves as a consultant for Singita, a group of luxury private game reserves, elevating their food and drinks offering to world-class restaurant standards.
• Le Grand DomainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Le Grand Domaine for Cantina by Chefs Warehouse in Stellenbosch. Cantina is located at Le Grand Domaine estate and features Basque-inspired cuisine with an extensive global wine list curated to pair with the menu.
• Belmond Mount Nelson HotelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Red Room is located at the prestigious Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, operating as a pan-Asian restaurant within the historic hotel property.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Singita: Group of luxury private game reserves where Liam Tomlin serves as F&B consultant. Not a direct competitor but a strategic partner — overlapping premium hospitality positioning and a B2B customer of CW Essentials products.

Broad incumbents

• José Andrés Group (ThinkFoodGroup): Multi-concept Spanish/international restaurant group pioneering tapas-format dining globally. A useful comparable for chef-led multi-concept scaling, brand-building around small-plates, and CPG adjacencies.
• Nobu Restaurants: Global upscale Japanese-Peruvian restaurant brand operating premium locations in luxury hotels (Belmond, Four Seasons, etc.). Directly comparable business model: chef-driven premium dining in iconic hotel/landmark settings, with hospitality partnerships.

Direct peers

• The Pot Luck Club: Tapas-style sharing restaurant in Cape Town by Luke Dale Roberts offering small-plate dining with panoramic views. Concept overlap with Chefs Warehouse's Tapas-for-Two format and direct competition in the same city.
• Marble Restaurant: Premium South African fine-dining venue with fire-based cooking at the heart of its concept. Comparable in price point and target market to Chefs Warehouse's Beau Constantia and Red Room, sharing the same Johannesburg/Cape Town premium segment.
• La Colombe: Cape Town fine-dining restaurant and sister property of The Test Kitchen, repeatedly awarded by Eat Out. Direct competitor for premium diners in the same Western Cape market, with overlapping chef talent pipelines (Ivor Jones worked at La Colombe before joining Chefs Warehouse).
• The Test Kitchen (Luke Dale Roberts): Iconic Cape Town fine-dining restaurant by Luke Dale Roberts, formerly the highest-ranked restaurant in Africa on the World's 50 Best list. Direct competitor for premium diners, and former training ground for several Chefs Warehouse chefs (Ivor Jones, Chad Graham).
• FYN Restaurant: Cape Town fine-dining restaurant led by Chef Peter Tempelhoff at the top of Eat Out rankings. Directly competes with Chefs Warehouse's premium concepts (Maison, Beau Constantia, Red Room) for the same affluent foodie demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/chefswarehousehamburg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chefs-warehouse-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chefs Warehouse Group