Polish fast food restaurant to break onto market next year

Fast food restaurant Lesne Runo ("Undergrowth"), which is owned by the Polish Tourism Development Agency (PART) and serves traditional Polish cuisine, has said it plans to rapidly increase its franchise outlets next year. "We want to become an alternative to McDonald's," said PART board member Sylwester Pruchniewski. "The research we have conducted proves that there is demand for this in Poland. We will not serve Coca-Cola or Pepsi-Cola; we will follow the rule 'we season with nature,' meaning we will add fruits of the forest or vegetables to every meal." The right to restaurant technology and the Lesne Runo trademark will be available through a franchising contract for approximately zl.50,000 to zl.100,000. A monthly franchising fee will be charged, and will equal 4% to 9% of the restaurant's monthly turnover. Company representatives say they are especially interested in old restaurants that could be converted into a franchised outlet. The total cost of such a transformation is estimated at zl.200,000. As of the present time around 30 people have already requested to buy a license from PART. Company representatives say that the investment will start bringing in profits within two to three years. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B3) A.K.