It was going to be a David and Goliath-style court battle between the billionaire founder of one of the largest food franchises in the country and a small business owner.
Accusations of nepotism, claims of a conspiracy to steal the business and hints at deep financial mismanagement were at the centre of the urgent court motion set down this week between the manager of Tashas Cafe in Morningside and former Famous Brands director, Panayiotis “Peter” Halamandaris.
But thanks to a crowded coffee shop and one very late advocate, the case appears to have been settled out of court - over a few cups of the brew.
George Betsakos, the manager and 50% owner of Tashas, was at the centre of the dispute, accused by Halamandaris of poor management and putting the business in jeopardy.
It was in November when Halamandaris initially launched the motion with the High Court in Joburg to remove Betsakos as a director, claiming he was preventing Halamandaris from “participating meaningfully in the management”.
Halamandaris said each of the owners had radically differing ideas on how to run the business, and Betsakos had prevented him from accessing the cafe’s bank accounts.
“The respondent (Betsakos) carries out highly questionable business practices and is clearly not managing the business properly and particularly not its financial administration, as evidenced from his failure and refusal to bank cash takings,” Halamandaris’s application papers read.
However, Betsakos has denied the claims, saying in his written response Halamandaris should be forced to sell his 50% shareholding to Betsakos.
He has insisted that under his management, Tashas has become one of the most profitable in the franchise.
However, his responding papers also claimed a conspiracy by Halamandaris and the former 50% owners of the business, the Christoforakis brothers, to oust him using underhanded tactics.
He claims last year, the brothers had sold their shares to Halamandaris for R8.5million, concluded without Betsakos’s knowledge - and conducted without due diligence.
Betsakos said Halamandaris is the father-in-law to one of the brothers, and had purchased the business as part of the conspiracy after Betsakos’s business relationship with the brothers broke down.
He claims Halamandaris began a three-prong attack on him with “incessant demands”, “aggressive threats of litigation” and financially starving him out of the business.
Halamandaris denied these claims in his written responses.
On Wednesday, both men arrived at the High Court to hear the court’s judgment
But Betsakos’s lawyer, Richard Solomon had not arrived by the 10.30am starting time.
After hours of waiting, both sides left the building, settling at the same coffee shop opposite the court.
The crowded shop meant the groups were in arm’s reach of each other, and conversation was sparked.
On Thursday, Betsakos said an out-of-court settlement had been arranged. While he would not be drawn on the settlemen, he said the court would no longer have to intervene.