Romania’s City Grill announces leadership changes amid expansion

Romanian restaurant operator City Grill Group announced that it appointed Carmen Polcovnicu as CEO and Ionuț Ceban as chief operating officer (COO), effective August 2026. Former CEO and co-founder Daniel Mischie has moved into the role of executive chairman, focusing on strategy, acquisitions, and industry partnerships.

Polcovnicu, 43, has worked at City Grill since 2005. She previously managed the City Grill and Hanu’ lui Manuc brands before becoming COO and overseeing operations across the group’s portfolio.

“I learned the business from the inside, from the City Grill and Hanu’ lui Manuc brands to the operations of the entire portfolio,” she said.

Ionuț Ceban, 42, joined the company at Caru’ cu Bere in 2007 and later managed City Grill Covaci and Buongiorno Victoriei. Since 2021, he has served as brand manager for Hanu’ lui Manuc.

Meanwhile, Daniel Mischie had been CEO since January 2017, when the group operated 17 restaurants and cafés. City Grill now has 44 locations, following expansion beyond Bucharest and acquisitions including the Marty Restaurants and Aubergine businesses.

The change comes in a year in which the group’s portfolio has expanded significantly. In 2026, it opened a café-bistro inside the restored Constanța Casino, announced a EUR 7 million investment in a ready-meal production facility, and allocated EUR 6.5 million to restaurant expansion and modernisation.

The group closed 2025 with a consolidated turnover of EUR 90 million and is targeting the EUR 100 million mark this year.

Founded in 2004, City Grill Group operates brands including Caru’ cu Bere, Hanu’ lui Manuc, Pescăruș, Hanu’ Berarilor, Buongiorno.Italian, and City Grill, alongside the La Boheme hotel and the Zooma events complex.