Going out for coffee, for business lunch or dinner, having a soft drink or some beer with friends and even celebrating anniversaries out are as many reasons to boost profits for producers of beverages, alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Going out is an ordinary way of spending one’s free time and an argument that increases the spending budgets of the businesspeople who prefer to schedule their meetings for some place outside the office. Drinks people have on-premise, a segment that comprises restaurants, bars, outdoor restaurants and coffee shops, exceed one billion euros a year. In 2008, on-premise sales accounted for almost 30% of the total beverage market, in terms of value, reveals a survey of market research company MEMRB.

Given that total value of beverage sales exceeded 3 billion euros last year, according to the estimates of BUSINESS Magazin, the slice grabbed by the on-premise segment exceeds one billion euros. Even though the crisis has left its mark on spending, compared with the people in other European countries, Romanian consumers have little choice when they want to go out. At a population of more than 2 million people in Bucharest, there were a total of 2,450 restaurants in January, according to the National Trade Registry Office.

At the beginning of this year, the number of restaurants reached almost 13,000 in the entire country, an increase of 17% on the same time of last year. Even so, the capital city does not have many on-premise locations, while tourist cities like Paris, with a population of 10 million people, have more than 30,000 restaurants and cafés; whereas Bucharest has one restaurant for every 800 people, the French capital has one for every 300 people. Over the coming years, however, the coffee shop, restaurant or bar chains will gain ground, not just in Bucharest, but also in the rest of the country, even though the less attractive spaces will continue to be closed.