Casual dining restaurant chain Chili’s is to enter the Romanian market earlier than originally announced. While the launch was scheduled for 2026, the investors decided to speed up the process, so that the first unit will open by the end of 2025, in Mall Băneasa, Bucharest. The related investment exceeds €1 million.
Development plans foresee an accelerated expansion of the network. By 2030, the investor group aims to open at least 10 restaurants nationwide.
The consortium that owns the franchise is made up of four entrepreneurs: Mohamed Kotop (the company’s administrator), Honorius Prigoană, Horea Dinea and Ioan Anton Măzărianu – the latter owning 50% of the shares. Măzărianu is known as the majority shareholder of Comes, a company specialized in the production of equipment for the oil and gas industry.
To keep as true to the original concept as possible, the management team has already conducted training sessions in Chili’s restaurants in the United States. Although the first restaurant will be opened in a shopping center, the medium-term strategy also considers alternative locations. According to Honorius Prigoană, the investors are also analyzing options such as military bases, and there are discussions with the Mihail Kogălniceanu Military Base.
The model is not unprecedented: the only Chili’s restaurant in the European Union is currently operating at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. In Romania, over 90% of the ingredients used will come from local suppliers.
The Chili’s concept was launched in 1975 in Texas by Larry Lavine. The brand was envisioned as a casual, full-service restaurant with an affordable menu, initially focused on burgers. Over time, the menu has diversified to include American dishes, Tejano-inspired dishes and Mexican influences.