Bu Tafish Restaurant

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Radwan Othman Ishtay Al Tamimi^[2] was born around 1948 in Al-Khalil in Palestine,^[3] where he spent his early childhood alongside his seven siblings. His family owned vineyards and olive tree groves, which they had to leave behind when they relocated to Bayt Lahm. Shortly after, the family moved to Jordan.^[4] At the age of 17, determined to seek better living conditions than his challenging life as a refugee in Jordan, Radwan escaped in a “smuggling operation” along with 200 other refugees from various countries, who met in Basra, Iraq, before heading to the Emirates, a place completely unknown to them.^[5]

In 1965,^[6] Radwan arrived on the shores of Dubai after five days at sea.^[7] He found work at a Dubai restaurant called Al Umara, for which he was paid a small daily stipend.^[8] A few weeks later, he moved to Abu Dhabi, where he worked as a waiter at a restaurant called Al Quds. Over the next three years, Radwan took up a variety of jobs, becoming an accountant for a soft drink company, then a manager of product distribution.^[9] He married and ultimately had three children: Wael, Raed, and Alaa.^[10]

FOUNDING STORY

During his first years in Abu Dhabi, Radwan noticed the lack of shops selling drinks around the beach, despite the consistently hot weather.^[11] Spotting a business opportunity, in 1968 he established a small kiosk in Abu Dhabi Corniche on the seaside,^[12] across from where the Radisson Blu Hotel is now located.^[13] The kiosk — which was neither licensed nor registered — had an adjacent seating area where Radwan served drinks and shisha.^[14]

Later that year, Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan, then ruler of Abu Dhabi, was passing along the Corniche with a modest convoy.^[15] Noticing the small throng of city dwellers gathered at Radwan’s kiosk, Sheikh Zayed asked to meet the owner. Upon hearing Radwan’s story, the sheikh jokingly dubbed him “Bu Tafish” (“the escaper” in Arabic) in reference to the founder’s successful getaway from Palestine and Jordan.

Sheikh Zayed swiftly ordered that Radwan’s small shop be registered officially,^[16] and that he be given funds to develop the business.^[17] The sheikh, noticing the drinks were warm due to lack of refrigeration, also directed that the shop be supplied with running water and electricity.^[18]

GROWTH PHASE

Radwan used the money granted by Sheikh Zayed to establish the first  “floating restaurant” in Abu Dhabi, which was built to look like a ship at sea.^[19] It was initially located in the Corniche area, at the spot where the Founder’s Memorial now stands,^[20] under the name of Sinbad the Sailor.^[21] Following the unification of the UAE in 1971, there was a wave of urban development in Abu Dhabi, and the restaurant was moved to Khalidyah pursuant to the city’s new urban plan.^[22] Over the following decades the restaurant operated under a variety of names such as Flower Beach and Golden Beach.^[23] Eventually, the nickname bestowed on its founder by Sheikh Zayed was settled upon: Bu Tafish.

From soon after its establishment, the restaurant gained an enviable reputation in Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Zayed would stop in at the restaurant on a nearly daily basis,^[24] leading it to become an “iconic stop” for politicians and other public figures both local and visiting from afar.^{[25] [26]} Over the decades, the restaurant would relocate to different areas in Abu Dhabi, while remaining a consistent success.^[27]

TODAY

The founder’s eldest son, Wael, became involved in the business when he turned 18 years old. Today, Wael is the restaurant’s CEO,^[28] and his brothers Raed and Alaa are involved in its management as well.^[29] The restaurant currently has five branches in the UAE, and the second generation plans to turn the family business into a franchise operation, with the aim of opening further restaurants in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.^[30] In 2022, Bu Tafish Restaurant was honored with the Urban Treasures Award by the UAE government, in recognition of its status as a significant cultural landmark.^[31]