Romanian brand 5 to go moved up to seventh place in Europe’s café chain rankings in 2023, according to Food Service, Europe & Middle East.
The café chain, which recently surpassed 600 locations, has steadily advanced in this top ranking of industry brands, placing 10th in 2021 and ninth in 2022. This advancement has been attributed to the brand’s rapid expansion and “spectacular results”.
Recently, 5 to go expanded into Moldova with its first location in Chisinau. The brand aims to open a minimum of 50 locations in this market within the next three years, with the next stage of openings set for the beginning of 2025.
5 to go Co-Founder Radu Savopol says the company was inspired by the business model of big companies that added a personal touch to the brand.
Its cafés in Moldova will have service departments equipped with Latte Art Factory machines to offer customers optimal milk foam and serving time. In addition to the brand’s established products, the Moldovan locations will also offer a range of sweet and salty traditional Moldovan pies, preserving local preferences.
Co-Founder Lucian Bădilă adds that the initial three locations in Moldova will operate under a franchise model.
“In the future, we are considering approaching the Moldovan retail market,” he says.
5 to go plans to have 650 cafés both internationally and in Romania by the end of this year.
