Pita Pan all fired up, Burger King steams ahead in Cyprus

The market seems to be ripe for low-cost food and quick service restaurants, as following Taco Bell’s plans to open its first store in Limassol, other franchise operators also seek further expansion in Cyprus.
A year after opening its flagship store in Nicosia, the Greek-style Pita Pan recently added Latsia to its network, raising the number of stores in Cyprus and Greece to 16.
The company opened a ‘souvlaki’ and Greek gyros franchise in Antwerp and is looking to develop the brand in Bulgaria, France and the U.K.
In Cyprus, local partner Asaka Fast Food Restaurants is opening a third store this month, this time in Paralimni, while further openings are planned for Aglandjia and Lakatamia, in line with the strategy of having a presence in all town by 2012.
The menu has already been adapted here to accommodate local ingredients, while the Cypriot pita has become an option.
Big King Restaurants, operator of the Burger King franchise in Cyprus, is also on a major expansion drive, selectively choosing new locations as it creeps into the market so far dominated by McDonald’s.
More Burger King outlets are expected to crop up in 2010 as the company consolidates its Group locations and considers co-locating with other affiliate brands such as the Laser Investments-operated Coffee Beanery. Other Group associates include the Cipriani Italian restaurant in Nicosia and the management of public facilities such as the municipal swimming pools in Nicosia and Larnaca under the ‘Blue’ brand.
And the franchise frenzy is not limited to cooked food.
Rival ice cream companies Papaphilippou and Pahit Ice are also expanding with own and franchise stores, in preparation for the onslaught from the Greek-operated franchise of the Haagen-Dasz outlets, with an ice cream store planned to open in one of the new buildings emerging on Spyrou Kyprianou Avenue (formerly Santa Roza).