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Thinking of investing in the restaurant business? Great idea. But before you invest your first hryvnia, let’s take a sober look at the market. This is an important step in understanding where to invest in 2025.
At BRG, a consulting company in Khmelnytskyi, we have been down this road many times, from small catering businesses to full-fledged restaurant concepts, and we know all the pitfalls. Our job is not just to sell you a ready-made business, but to help you make an informed choice and accompany you on the road to success.
Let’s get started.
Ten proven options for where to invest your money
We have selected ten franchises based on the main criteria for small and medium-sized businesses:
- Investment cost.
- Business stability.
- Product demand.
- Franchisor support.
To start with: coffee as the easiest way to get into business
If you are a beginner with a limited budget, coffee is your best choice. It is a market with constant demand. There are two obvious paths here.
The first is classic. Aroma Kava offers one of the lowest entry thresholds: only UAH 250,000 to launch a 6-9 m2 “island” in a shopping center. The brand is recognizable, the processes are simple, which is ideal in conditions of staff shortages. But there is a caveat: competition is fierce, and you are solely responsible for local marketing, as there is no centralized advertising fund.
The second path is innovative. Self-service coffee shops (Smart Cafe or FASTKAVA) are a direct response to the labor shortage in the market. The logic here is quite simple: no staff means no problems with salaries, sick leave, and finding people. It’s almost passive income that requires only a few hours of your attention per week. But here, 99% of success depends on location. This is where BRG in Khmelnytskyi helps its clients by analyzing traffic and potential profitability.
Betting on stability: bread and pastries
People will always buy fresh bread and pastries. It’s almost a sure thing. There are two leaders here with different philosophies.
Lviv Croissants is a powerful brand that people trust, and it has a brilliantly simple model built on a single product. This simplifies everything: logistics, training, quality control. But you have to pay for the status of a leader: the entry ticket costs from $30,000, and the location requirements are very strict — only the center, only crazy traffic, and therefore, expensive rent.
If this budget is too high for you, there is Simeyna Pekarnya. This is a more “popular” format of a “bakery near home” with investments starting at $18,000. Their main advantage is the absence of royalties. All profits remain with you. But be prepared to work harder to promote a lesser-known brand at the local level.
And if your heart lies more with cakes and pastries than bread, there is another interesting player – TM Nasoloda. This is a brand with over 27 years of history, which focuses on natural ingredients and handmade products. You can start with as little as $5,000 in a coffee shop format, with no lump sum payment and royalties of only 2% of turnover. The franchisor is so confident in its model that it offers equipment leasing and even writes profitability guarantees into the contract, which is very rare in the market.
Trending: high-quality street food
Street food has long ceased to be synonymous with poor quality. It is a huge and popular market that provides a clear answer to the question of where to invest in 2025.
You can bet on proven Lviv quality with Kebab House. Behind them is the experienced team of Na Mangal Family, who know how to make delicious food in a systematic way.
Or you can go the route of partnering with agricultural giant MHP and their Doner Market project. Their main advantage is complete control over meat supplies. In a situation where food prices are constantly rising, this is a huge plus that guarantees stable food costs. Such vertical integration is a sign of a very stable business model, which we at BRG always pay attention to in our analysis.
For the daring: niche projects with high margins
If you are ready to take a risk and hit the jackpot, take a look at these unique concepts.
P’yana Vyshnya from !FEST is a brilliant example of a single-product bar. High markups on products, no kitchen, and minimal staff — it’s a dream, not a business. They sell not just liqueur, but emotion and a unique experience.
Or ÉDES, a bakery that took off in 2024 thanks to a unique product, kurtoshkalach. This fresh idea allowed them to instantly stand out in an oversaturated market. It proves that even in a competitive niche, you can find your “blue ocean.”
Heavy artillery and hybrid models
If you have substantial capital and are looking for a reliable, time-tested business, Pizza Celentano is the choice for you. It is a legend in the Ukrainian market with a huge loyal audience. You get a business model refined down to the smallest detail and comprehensive support. But be prepared for serious investments (from $60,000) and high operating costs. Managing such a project requires experience, and here our BRG team, which has experience in launching and managing its own restaurants Beef&Cake and Piccolino 3.0, can provide invaluable assistance.
And finally, there is the unique hybrid Galya Baluvana. It is both a store and a production facility that perfectly meets the modern consumer’s demand for high-quality homemade food. At the beginning of 2024, franchise sales in Ukraine were suspended, but in May 2025, after a change of ownership, they were resumed. This is a perfect example of why you need to check every detail and why a superficial Google search is not enough. Having a partner like BRG in Khmelnytskyi, which constantly monitors the market and verifies information, is a necessity.
Comparative table of key financial indicators of franchises
| Name | Concept | Approximate investment | Lump sum payment | Royalty | Payback period (months) |
| Aroma Kava | Coffee shop chain | from 250,000 UAH | 75,000 UAH | 2% | from 6 |
| FAST KAVA | Automated coffee point | from $3, 500 | None | None | from 6 |
| Smart Cafe | Automated coffee point | From 123,000 UAH | None | None | from 6 |
| Lviv Croissants | Bakery-cafe | $30,000 – $70,000 | $10,000 | 3% | 12–24 |
| Family bakery | Bakery | From $18, 000 | From $5,000 | None | from 8 |
| TM “Nasoloda” | Coffee shop-pastry shop | $5,000 | None | 2% | from 6 |
| Doner Market | Street food (doner) | $15,000 – $30,000 | n/a | n/a | from 6 |
| P’yana Vyshnia (!FEST) | Single-product bar | $40,000 – $60,000 | $15,000 | 2% | ~24 |
| ÉDES | Bakery | $15,000 | $5,000 | n/a | from 4 |
| Pizza Celentano | Pizzeria/restaurant | $60,000 – $180,000+ | $10,000 | 1,5%-3% | to 30 |
| Galya Baluvana | Semi-finished products | from $27,000 | $7,000 – $9,000 | $75/month | from 5-6 |
A ready-made model is not a guarantee of success
A franchise is a great way to enter the restaurant business and reduce risks. You don’t have to create a brand from scratch, develop a menu, or set up processes. Working under a well-known name increases your chances of success a lot. But it is not a guarantee of profit. It is a partnership. And your success depends on your daily work as much as it does on the strength of the brand.
Choosing the right franchise is the foundation. If you feel you need help making that choice, analyzing the market, negotiating, and launching your business, turn to the professionals. The BRG team is ready to be your reliable partner on this journey.
We are practitioners who manage our own establishments on a daily basis, from off-site catering to full-service restaurants. We will help you not only choose, but also launch and make your business profitable.
Good luck with your investments!
Our job is not just to sell you a ready-made business, but to help you make an informed choice and accompany you on your path to success.