Sphera Franchise Group expands the Taco Bell network, with a new unit in Bucharest
<h3 style="line-height: 1.2;">Sphera Franchise Group, the largest food service group in Romania, which operates the Taco Bell brand in a franchise system, expanded its network by inaugurating its fifth unit in Bucharest, in Plaza Romania, this weekend. The restaurant chain with Mexican-inspired products thus continues its expansion strategy on the local market, reaching a portfolio of 16 units nationwide. The value of the investment in the new restaurant was approximately EUR 500,000.</h3>

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<p>“The dynamics of the HoReCa industry and the openness of Romanian consumers to new culinary experiences have led us to continue expanding our network. The inauguration of the Taco Bell restaurant in Plaza Romania is the first opening of the brand this year, and this comes in the context of encouraging financial results and our 7-year anniversary in Romania. This year, Taco Bell registered for the first time a first semester with net profit, of over 0.5 million lei. Although we are already present in 10 major cities, we still see significant potential for development in the Bucharest market and in other urban areas in Romania, where interest in Mexican-inspired cuisine is growing”, stated <strong>Costică Mișacă, General Manager, Taco Bell România</strong>.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The new Taco Bell restaurant is situated in the Food Court area, on the 2nd floor of the Plaza Romania shopping center, located at 26 Timișoara Blvd, sector 6, Bucharest. The restaurant is operated by a team of approximately 25 employees and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Customers can serve the products in the food court area or opt for takeaway. For takeaway orders, Taco Bell collaborates with specialized delivery platforms.</p>

<p>Within Taco Bell Plaza Romania, the net income that a Crew Member (Kitchen Worker or Cashier) can reach is 3,300 lei from the 3rd month of collaboration (for a full-time program). The amount includes basic salary, meal vouchers and bonuses granted according to internal criteria. Employment is not conditioned on previous work experience, the main qualities sought in future colleagues are a positive attitude, motivation, and the desire for personal and professional development.</p>

<p>Taco Bell entered the local market in 2017, being the third brand added to the Sphera Franchise Group portfolio, alongside KFC and Pizza Hut. The launch also marked the entry of the Southern Californian brand into Central and Eastern Europe, at that time being the only Taco Bell restaurant within a radius of 1,208 kilometers. Currently, the brand has 16 units in 10 cities in the country: 5 in Bucharest, 2 in Brașov, 2 in Constanța, and one each in Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, Timișoara, Ploiesti, Bacău, Iași and Craiova.</p>

<p>For more details about Taco Bell novelties, access the Facebook and Instragam pages&nbsp;<strong>Taco Bell România</strong>, and&nbsp;the website <a href="http://www.taco-bell.ro" rel="noopener" target="_blank">www.taco-bell.ro</a>.</p>

<h3>About Sphera Franchise Group S.A.</h3>

<p>Sphera Franchise Group is the largest group in the food service industry in Romania, owning the companies that operate in a franchise system the KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell brands in Romania and KFC in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, and in certain areas in Italy. The group owns over 170 restaurants in the three markets and employs approx. 5,000 people. Sphera Franchise Group has been listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange since 2017, under the symbol SFG, being the only HoReCa company in Romania included in the main BET index, as well as in the MSCI Frontier Markets Small Cap.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>*This is a Press release.</em></p>