Fast-food giants tap into shawarma niche

The battle on the fast-food outlet market is gaining momentum after major players such as McDonald's, KFC or Burger King added sandwiches resembling shawarma to their menus, with a 150-200m-euro market being at stake.

Multinationals have the upper hand in the battle with domestic shawarma outlets as their turnovers are much bigger and their restaurant networks much larger.
McDonald's, KFC and Burger King have 110 restaurants together in Romania, most in Bucharest. On the other hand, few shawarma outlets of Bucharest, such as Dristor Kebap, Dineş or Bundetot, have more than an outlet.

Dristor Kebap, one of the best-known shawarma outlet chains in Romania with 1.3m-euro turnover in 2009, has four shops in Bucharest, two of which in malls.
Dineş, another shawarma chain with turnover close to 1m euros in 2009, has three shops, while Bundetot, controlled by Dragoş Petrescu, the owner of City Grill, sells shawarma in two locations in Bucharest.