“Our growth must not be regarded as signaling a restaurant market rebound. It is just an adjustment of the business of the La Mama restaurants and Cafepedia coffee shops,” Mahu says.
His restaurants and coffee shops (the outdoor areas included) can seat about 1,100 and serve 4,000 or 5,000 customers a day. “The increase in sales in the first few months came as a result of the increase in the number of customers, as the bill value remained relatively constant.”
The Romanian entrepreneur, which started this business about thirteen years ago owns eight La Mama restaurants and is working on the ninth and three Cafepedias. He is also working on a club to be opened in the Old Town of Bucharest.
The revenue generated by the restaurants and coffee shops owned by Mahu amounted to EUR4.7 million in 2011, down about 10% on 2010.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)