Chinska Patelnia launches franchise programme

2011-12-22



Chinska Patelnia, a restaurant chain specialising in Chinese noodles, launched a franchise programme through which it wants to expand its operations beyond Bydgoszcz, where all of its establishments are currently located.
The chain is looking for franchisees mainly in four voivodships: Kujawsko-Pomorskie (the region around Bydgoszcz), and also Mazowieckie, Pomorskie and Wielkopolskie. The company is taking into consideration cities with populations of over 25,000.
Chinska Patelnia restaurants should measure at least 30 m² and require an initial investment of PLN 35,000-70,000 (€8,000-16,000) . All of the chain’s current restaurants are free-standing but the company is open to considering shopping-centre locations.
Chinska Patelnia has been operating since 2006 and currently consists of 14 restaurants. They include eight permanent establishments in Bydgoszcz and six seasonal sales points in seaside locations.


Rapid expansion of franchise systems remains one of the major trends in the Polish restaurant sector. According to data from ARSS, there are about 130 restaurant brands on the Polish market whose owners are declaring an intention to develop franchise networks. In general, the franchise model is popular because it lowers the cost of network expansion and creates a stable source of revenues. It strongly favours long-established chains with high brand recognition, a willingness to spend heavily on promotion, and a well-designed franchise concept. Several leading restaurant chains in Poland, such as McDonald’s, Da Grasso, Telepizza or Sphinx, owe much of their growth and popularity to attractive franchise programmes that created appealing opportunities for franchisees.
Admittedly, Chinska Patelnia, which at present owns just 14 restaurants, all in the city of Bydgoszcz, has nothing like the brand recognition enjoyed by the abovementioned companies. However, it does have an important asset in the fact that it is a fast food restaurant. Fast food and pizza chains have greater chances of success in Poland than traditional restaurants due to their strong popularity gained in recent years, as Poles adopted faster-paced lifestyles. Furthermore, the investment costs that must be incurred by the franchisee are relatively low compared with traditional restaurants. Therefore there should be no shortage of interest in its franchise programme.

Paulina Walewska
Business Editor
PMR Publications