Theo Holiasmenos is one of those success stories that started with a dream. The owner of TH restaurants, which today comprise the Karoo Cattle and Land, Smith and Kale Steak House, Kerasma and Ciao Baby Cucina franchises, he came from a wealthy family that lost their fortune and moved from Greece to South Africa. Even at the age of 17, he knew that wanted to go into business.

His first foray into the restaurant world was when he heard about a good steakhouse in Kempton Park but had no money to buy it. When he approached the bank – back in 1968 – he was advised to come back with a business plan. He was given the loan, but the bank manager warned that he wanted to see the doors open at 9am every morning. “The bank was right across the road from the restaurant so he could see what I was doing,” says Theo. His story seems fictional simply because it all sounds too easy, but when he talks about studying in Durban and returning home to Kempton Park on weekends to work in the Golden Rand Steakhouse where his parents were running the show, it’s clear that he learnt the hard way.

Today, he knows the hard work paid off and it remains his ethos. When his current ops manager, Charl Potgieter, was invited into the fold, he started by washing dishes for a few months, working his way up the ranks. “I didn’t know anything about food when I started, but my first few years were spent working from 9am until we closed at 10pm,” says Theo. This was in his twenties when most young men have things other than hard slog on their minds. “It’s just the way I was brought up,” he says.

In those start-up years, he also studied civil engineering and a BCom, but in the end he knew it came down to putting on an apron and learning everything in the business. After the first Kempton Park restaurant, he opened others including Mike’s Kitchen and The Carvery in central Johannesburg and his first major success, the MacRib chain, which he started in the mid 1980s.

He eventually sold MacRib and after a few years travelling in Italy, where he spent many hours in kitchens in small villages and picked the brains of home cooks, he returned home to start the first Ciao Baby Cucina, which, in addition to the local presence, has branches in London and in Lusaka.

Another franchise followed swiftly less than a decade later. Theo spotted a gap in the grill market – something in the middle that would offer good value for money without forfeiting quality. Karoo Cattle and Land was the answer. The clientele at his most recent venue in the Grey Owl Centre in Centurion is mainly businessmen. The drawcard is an emphasis on meat and a menu that is proudly South African and includes monkey gland sauce, malva pudding and even candy floss for the kids on weekends. Those who are 12 and younger also get free meals on weekends.

When I visited, we nibbled on droëwors and biltong made on the premises, as well as starters of lamb's tails served with pap and peri-peri steak strips and some fine red wine. But when our platter-size main courses arrived, it was like being at a medieval banquet. There were at least five different kinds of meat, including ribs, rump steak, lamb pie, good sausage and lamb shank. If you’re not a meat lover, there is a good selection of chicken, a small sample of fish and a salad bar. And for dessert? Who could resist a selection that ranged from peppermint crisp pie, milk tart, tipsy tart and chocolate brownies?

Theo had given us his attention for more than an hour but his phone never stopped ringing, and he couldn’t resist checking his iPad on the side. It’s all about the business. He loves his job – and feeding anyone who buys into his concept – and there are many. “Many more than opt for fine dining,” he says with some pride. He guarantees a good quality meal at extremely competitive prices with exemplary personal service.

Even the franchises have his personal attention. “We don’t provide a booklet with guidelines,” he says. They set up shop, get it running and once the franchisee joins the business, they are hands-on. Wherever you go, Karoo Cattle and Land will be recognisable, but each restaurant will have something that’s their own. But they have to clear it with Theo first. The franchise business is one that he has perfected through the years. Ask him about fail-safe ingredients and he’s quick to respond: “You have to put your personality on the floor. The customers have to know you and you them. That’s when they know the quality will be there."

Theo has been known to do bookings for a regular customer from Australia who calls him in the middle of the night. Having spent just a few hours at his side, I know that to be true. That’s why he’s so good.

By Diane de Beer