Trotter Restaurant Co. will continue to expand in 2008, with three La Mama restaurants in Bucharest and six Cafepedia cafes to a total number of 18 sites, according to owner Catalin Mahu. Earlier this year, Mahu said a new La Mama restaurant required an investment of some 400,000 EUR, whereas a Cafepedia required some 150,000 EUR to open.
Estimates for this year point to a 48% increase in turnover from last year"s 5.4 million EUR. "At the end of November, we calculated sales of 7.3 million EUR, which confirm the 8 million EUR target for this year," said Mahu. The first La Mama restaurant was opened in 1999. The network has growth to seven, including a franchise. The fist Cafepedia was opened last year.