“We set out to reach 40 restaurants by the end for 2015 but beyond quantitative growth we want to grow in terms of design, product and services under our new concept,” said Dan Isai, chief executive officer and one of the Salad Box shareholders.
The restaurant chain was established by six entrepreneurs from Cluj, Mures and Salaj and expanded fast via franchising to several cities in Romania and abroad. Salad Box now has two restaurants in Hungary and one in Germany and its owners want to add a few more locations soon.
The chain has expanded in the shopping centers in Romania lately, following in the footsteps of McDonald’s and KFC, as well as Pizza Hut and Chopstix.
“We are focusing on expansion in Western Europe,” Dan Isai says. He has previously stated the chain plans to open five more restaurants in Germany.
The development of Salad Box in Romania also entailed a rebranding process, with the restaurant in Iulius Mall Cluj Napoca being the only one designed in line with the new concept.
The development of the restaurant chain also led to an increase in the number of employees to about 500, in both restaurants and administrative offices, Salad Box officials say.
Salad Box restaurants sell salads, cream soups, yogurts, fresh juices and lemonades. The franchiser is Emma Salad, which posted 4.5 million lei (about EUR1 million) revenue last year, according to the Finance Ministry website.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)