Moving to Romania

Hi Sain82!

Welcome on Expat-blog!

I have moved the topic on the Romania forum. I hope other members will be able to advice you. Concerning the cost of living, you might have a look at this discussion : Cost of living in Romania

I wish you good luck
Christine

Hi there,

Can't speak specifically for Brasov, but in Bucharest the most popular lunchtime take away meals are shoama, pizza, KFC/McD, pastries or some kind of chicken/snizel sandwich. Most of these come in at about 2-3 Euro. There is a chain of sandwich shops here in the capital called 'Snack Attack' who sell some 'Mediterranean sandwiches' (roast peppers, humus, etc.) alongside regular sandwiches. If I remember correctly their sandwiches also come in at about 3 Euro.

Your target market segment would have to be workers, most probably office workers, so you'd have to think carefully about your location and catchment area. You might even think about setting up a delivery services, again focusing on lunchtime orders for offices.  I don't know the Brasov market but it's obviously going to be smaller than Bucharest and my gut instinct is that you'll struggle to pull clients away from their traditional lunchtime food stops.

Additionally, wages haven't risen much in recent years, and in some cases have dropped, so I'm not sure how inclined people would be to buy a high-cost sandwich. It might work in some areas of Bucharest where people are looking to get something healthier than the regular take away options and have the money to pay.

Good luck!

Brasov is a very different market to the Capital. It has only around 8% of the people that Bucharest do. Fast food such as that described by Maykal is not as popular with the key Brasov market. it is considered junk. KFC is never fully busy & the lesser shops (Nandos etc) are frequented mainly by students & the like.  Brasov centre is more of a tourist market than Bucharest, by %.  Location is everything, & prices can be quite high if you are not careful. We have helped a few clients find commercial premises in Republicii & Murasenilor street, but it needs careful selection.  We currently have one in the centre of the square, but due to the high rent, you'd need a solid business model. Summer times will be much much easier than winter of course. You could sell carpet in your sandwiches & be swamped!

There are also certain other business models that could work such as part time catering (seasonal use or shared occupancy) or alternative activity. Feel free to bribe me over a glass of wine or 4, & I will share some ideas I have, based on many years of operating here. You never know, there might be something you can work with. Our office is in the main sq, behind the Raiffesen bank. Anything that brings growth or feature to Brasov gets my support! :-)