Romanian Restaurant Chain Spartan Reports EUR 50 M Business in 2023 and aim for 2nd Place on the Local Market and Expansion of its International Network
- Spartan is counting on the proximity of the locations in the coming period. „People want brands that come closer to them, in the vicinity of their homes and workplaces. In Romania, we still have opportunities to open at least 50 restaurants,” Spartan representatives declare.
- Against the backdrop of the general trend of wellbeing and concern for sustainability, Spartan is making several improvements at the level of processes and brand image. „We are targeting the under-20 customer category,” add representatives of the restaurant chain.
- The lack of qualified workforce remains one of the main challenges in the hospitality industry. The Romanian chain launched the Spartan Management School this year to prepare future leaders in the field according to Spartan standards.
The Romanian restaurant chain Spartan recorded a turnover of 48 Million EUR in 2023 and is counting on a series of operational improvements and brand repositioning for the expansion of the national network with up to 50 new locations in the near future, as well as for the expansion of the international network. The quick-service restaurant network has reached 75 locations and sold Greek-inspired products to over 7 million customers in 2023. The new shareholders aim to expand the franchise model to Spain, where there are already 2 Spartan locations.
Thus, the two new partners, Remus Cosovanu and Răzvan Nanuș, who took over the Spartan business in 2023, together with CEO Gabriel Melniciuc, have proposed a series of strategic transformations, which include launching new products that will bring added quality to Spartan’s offerings, opening new street locations near residential and office areas, as well as initiating a management school. The company’s plans also include implementing concrete sustainability processes aimed at reducing energy consumption at operated locations, along with implementing a FireUpSchedule plan, as well as selective waste collection, plastic elimination, and the introduction of sustainable cutlery.
Spartan aims to increase its market share in 2024 and aims to take the 2nd position in the top quick-service restaurants in Romania. Thus, the company aims to expand its target segment, targeting the new generations of customers under 20 years old, estimated by the National Institute of Statistics at over 4.3 million. As part of the strategy, Spartan relies on the new slogan Top Fresh, within an extensive repositioning campaign. Through the new approach, the company aims to capitalize on Spartan’s brand attributes such as product freshness and quality, as well as sustainability. The campaign, which has been running since the beginning of March, is developed by the WOPA group and already has TV, Digital, and OOH presence, with plans to be extended to the new Spartan locations, which will have a new visual identity.
„We aim to consolidate Spartan’s position in the top 3 restaurants of its kind in Romania, and furthermore, we aim to advance to 2nd place this year. We believe that the future lies in being as close to people as possible and in offering products according to their expectations, both in terms of taste and freshness, as well as in terms of the entire cooking process and environmental concern and sustainability throughout this process. That’s why our new communication campaign, developed together with WOPA, focuses on freshness, revolving around the concept of Top Fresh. We consider opening up to 50 new restaurants in the near future, while at the same time continuing the process of streamlining and developing our franchising concept in Spain, where we are already present in 2 locations”, says Gabriel Melniciuc, CEO of Spartan.
Despite a slight decrease in the entire fast-food market in the first quarter of this year, the industry anticipates an increase in consumption in the second half of the year. The lack of qualified labor is among the main challenges impacting the quick-service restaurant segment. In this context, Spartan will initiate a management school to train existing human resources to maintain the high standards of products and services offered.
Spartan is an international business with 100% Romanian origins, founded in 2012. In 2023, Strong MND Corporation, which operates in the HoReCa business, as well as the Spartan brand, were taken over by Remus Cosovanu, the brand’s first franchised investor, who already had a 30% share of the number of restaurants – and Răzvan Nanuș, General Director of the franchised company Rerum Food, which has been operating seven restaurants since 2016 in the Bucharest and Constanța regions.
