Finnish fast food chain Hesburger opens first restaurant in Romania, plans EUR 8 mln investments in first year

Hesburger, the largest chain of fast food restaurants in Finland and the Baltic countries, has entered the Romanian market with a first restaurant in Râmnicu Vâlcea. A family business with a history of over 50 years, Hesburger currently operates in nine countries and has over 470 restaurants.

The company aims to open 10 new locations in different cities across Romania, including Bucharest, and invest over EUR 8 million in the next 12 months.

With an investment of EUR 300,000 and an area of 80 square meters, the first Hesburger restaurant in Romania is located on the second floor of Shopping City Râmnicu Vâlcea, in the food court area. The new location created 30 new jobs.

“We decided to enter the Romanian market following a thorough analysis of the local market, and we believe in the potential for development here. […] Currently, we are having discussions for new locations in various cities in Romania, including Bucharest. We aim to open 10 new Hesburger restaurants nationwide in the first year, following investments of over EUR 8 million,” said Ieva Salmela, International Development & Marketing Director at Hesburger.

The Finnish company, founded by Heikki Salmela and his wife Kirsti Salmela, started its fast food business in 1966 in the small town of Naantali. Over the years, Hesburger has expanded its restaurant chain internationally and now has 272 locations in Finland, 60 in Lithuania, 51 in Estonia and Latvia, 29 in Bulgaria, 7 in Ukraine, 2 in Germany, and one in Poland.

In 2023, the sales turnover for all Hesburger restaurants in Finland was EUR 286 million, and for those outside Finland, EUR 172 million.

(Photo source: the company)