Exclusive: French Bakery owners to open Negresco restaurant in Bucharest's Old Town

The group of investors who own the French Bakery chain of cafes and restaurants in Bucharest will in October open a new restaurant called Negresco in the Old Town in Bucharest, adjoining the Caru cu Bere restaurant on Stavropoleus street, Romania-Insider.com has learned.

Romanian investors Lucian Manu, the majority shareholder in the project, his wife Joana Forsea and his brother Dinu Cismarescu, also owners of the French Bakery chain, have bought a historic building in the Old Town, which underwent restoration works for the last 18 months. The architect of this project was Serban Sturdza, who has also worked on the Carturesti villa restoration. Lucian Manu, Dan Cismarescu and Tony Belizarie also own the Balthazar restaurant in Bucharest, which was opened in 2001. Manu, Dinu Cismarescu and Serban Cismarescu also own the furniture company Innova. Lucian Manu and his brothers Dinu and Serban Cismarescu, sons of writer, poet and essayist Emil Manu are all doctors – two have graduated medicine and, the youngest, Serban, the dental school. However, none of the three are currently practicing medicine. French Bakery runs nine units in Bucharest which are directly owned, and two under franchise. A French Bakery franchise costs EUR 10,000, which is the initial tax, while the total investment in opening a unit starts with EUR 50,000. Corina Saceanu, corina@romania-insider.com (photo credits: Corina Saceanu/Romania-Insider.com)