The history and map of the 15 brands and 151 stores
From the first American franchises that appeared in Cyprus in the early 1990s to today’s malls, drive-throughs, and delivery platforms, the landscape of the organized food service industry on the island has changed radically.
International chains that have been in the Cypriot market for more than 30 years, now coexist with newer brands seeking to gain a foothold in a market that is much larger—at least in terms of value—than the one that existed before the pandemic.
A survey of international chains shows that at least 15 well-known foreign brands currently operate more than 150 locations in free Cyprus, ranging from classic fast-food and pizza chains, to casual dining and Asian concepts.
Post-pandemic
According to the latest available Eurostat data, the pandemic marked a turning point for the European foodservice industry. In 2020, the nominal turnover of food and beverage establishments in the European Union fell by 33.9%, as restrictive measures directly impacted restaurants, cafés, and bars.
The subsequent recovery was particularly strong. Eurostat reports a 15.2% increase in revenue in 2021, 42.2% in 2022, 11.7% in 2023, and 4.8% in 2024. Based on these annual changes, it is estimated that nominal revenue in 2024 was approximately 92% higher than the 2020 low. If, however, the comparison is made with 2019, before the pandemic, the increase is limited to approximately 27%.
The difference is significant, as the increase in revenue does not imply a corresponding increase in actual consumption. Eurostat data on prices for food service show that they rose by about 29% between 2020 and 2025, which means that a significant portion of the rise in market value is also linked to price increases.
The change was even greater in Cyprus
The change in Cyprus was similar but more pronounced. According to data from Eurostat and the Cyprus Statistical Service, turnover in the food and beverage service sector fell by approximately 36% in 2020. This was followed by an increase of 26.5% in 2021, 32.7% in 2022, 22.6% in 2023, 7.9% in 2024, and 8.8% in 2025.
Based on the annual changes in official data, the nominal revenue of the Cypriot food service industry in 2025 is estimated to have been approximately 142% higher than the 2020 level. Compared to 2019, before the pandemic, the increase is in the order of 55%, a figure that better reflects the long-term change in the market.
The upward trend continues into 2026, as in the first half of the year, revenue from food and beverage services increased by 4.6% compared to the same period last year. However, this figure is based on current prices, so the increase reflects both changes in demand and price increases.
The Cypriot Market
Within this market, according to a simple survey of the chains’ official websites, at least 15 international brands currently operate more than 150 locations in free Cyprus, ranging from classic fast-food and pizza chains to casual dining and Asian concepts.
This is a market that now extends far beyond city centers, with a presence in shopping malls, tourist areas, suburbs, communities, and major thoroughfares.
The Map of International Chains
Below are the distinct “identities” of each chain, along with its history in Cyprus, the evolution of its network, and its current presence.
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut holds a special place in the history of the organized restaurant industry in Cyprus, as it was one of the first restaurant chains to establish itself on the island. The first location opened in 1991 in Strovolos, at a time when the entry of a major foreign franchise into such a small market was, in itself, a significant business event. Two years later, in 1993, Pizza Hut introduced—according to the company itself—an organized delivery service, along with a call center and a single seven-digit order number.
More than three decades later, it is now the largest chain on this map, with a network that is no longer limited to major urban centers but has expanded to suburbs and communities as well. Its trajectory has essentially run parallel to the evolution of the franchise and delivery model in the Cypriot restaurant industry.
Locations: 34
Cities: Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, Famagusta (free-standing)
Category: Pizza / fast food
KFC
KFC is also part of the first wave of American franchises to establish a presence in Cyprus. As early as 1999, in a U.S. State Department commercial guide for Cyprus, Kentucky Fried Chicken was listed among the American chains that had opened stores on the island since the early 1990s.
A distinctive feature of the Cypriot market is that the KFC network is not operated by a single business entity.
Restaurants: 26
Locations: Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, Free Famagusta
Category: Fast food
McDonald’s
McDonald’s entered the Cypriot market in June 1997, opening its first restaurant in Finikoudes, Larnaca. This was soon followed by a drive-thru location in Engomi and subsequent expansion to all major cities. Family Restaurants Andreou Co. Ltd. is responsible for the brand’s development in Cyprus.
Today, the company reports 23 restaurants and more than 1,800 employees, a scale that makes it one of the largest players in the organized fast-food sector on the island. McDonald’s is also a prime example of a chain that has gradually shifted from city centers to a model of standalone stores, drive-thrus, and broader geographic coverage.
Restaurants: 23
Locations: Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, Free Famagusta, and other locations along the highway network
Category: Fast food
Burger King
Burger King’s history in Cyprus has not been continuous. The chain had previously operated on the island, but its previous network of five restaurants closed in the early 2010s following the termination of the franchise agreement at the time and a dispute with the previous franchisee.
The brand made its comeback in 2014, with the first new Burger King opening at the Kings Avenue Mall in Paphos under a new franchise agreement. Since then, the brand has reestablished itself in the Cypriot market and now has locations in major cities and in Ayia Napa. Its history is perhaps the most telling example on our map that the presence of a global brand in a small market is not necessarily permanent or linear.
Stores: 11
Locations: Nicosia, Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos, Ayia Napa
Category: Fast food
Ocean Basket
Ocean Basket was founded in South Africa in 1995 by brothers Fats and George Lazarides and has strong Greek and Mediterranean roots. For Cyprus, however, there is one more interesting detail. The first Ocean Basket, which opened in Paphos on July 2, 2008, was the chain’s first restaurant in Europe. At the time, the company itself viewed Cyprus as a gateway for further European expansion.
From that first location in Kato Paphos, the brand spread throughout the free part of Cyprus and now operates ten restaurants. The case of Ocean Basket also shows that the “map of international chains” in Cyprus is not limited to classic American burgers and fried chicken, but now includes different models of organized casual dining.
Locations: 10
Cities: Nicosia 2, Limassol 3, Larnaca 2, Paphos 2, Ayia Napa 1
Category: Casual dining / seafood
Domino’s Pizza
Domino’s is also among the oldest generation of American franchises in the Cypriot market, having entered the market in the 1990s.
What’s interesting about Domino’s is primarily its business model. It’s a brand that historically developed around delivery rather than large restaurants. Its network remains concentrated in major urban centers.
Stores: 9
Locations: Nicosia 3, Limassol 3, Paphos 2, Larnaca 1
Category: Pizza / delivery
TGI Fridays
TGI Fridays arrived in Cyprus in 1996, with its first restaurant in downtown Nicosia. In 2026, it marked three decades of continuous presence on the island, making it one of the longest-running foreign restaurant chains in the Cypriot market.
The chain now has nine restaurants in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos and reports more than 100,000 visits per month. Although it does not fall under the category of fast food in the strict sense, its presence on the map reflects the simultaneous rise of American-style casual dining in Cyprus.
Locations: 9;
Cities: Nicosia 3, Limassol 3, Larnaca 2, Paphos 1;
Category: Casual dining
Wagamama
Wagamama was founded in Bloomsbury, London, in 1992, introducing a fast-casual Asian dining concept inspired by Japanese ramen bars. In Cyprus, the first Wagamama opened in Nicosia in late 2007, with a news article from that time describing the concept and the communal tables as something new for the local market.
Today, the brand, which is based in Cyprus, has expanded to Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, and Ayia Napa. Its presence reflects the market’s shift from classic American fast food toward fast, organized dining featuring international cuisines.
Locations: 7;
Cities: Nicosia 3, Limassol 1, Larnaca 1, Paphos 1, Ayia Napa 1;
Category: Asian cuisine / fast casual
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is a relatively recent arrival compared to most of the American giants on the scene. The first location was announced in 2009 and opened in December of that same year at MyMall in Limassol.
Since then, the chain has expanded to Nicosia, Larnaca, and Paphos, now totaling six locations. It is interesting to note that its growth is largely based on shopping centers (four of its six current locations are in malls), a fact that also reflects the role of shopping malls in the expansion of international franchises.
Stores: 6
Locations: Nicosia 3, Limassol 1, Larnaca 1, Paphos 1
Category: Fast food / Mexican-style cuisine
Dodo Pizza
Dodo Pizza is one of the newest players in the market. The chain began in 2011 in a basement measuring just 68 square meters in Syktyvkar, Russia, and set itself apart from traditional pizza chains by investing from the very beginning in its own digital system for orders, store operations, and data analysis.
The company entered Cyprus in 2023 with a location in Limassol, followed by a second location in early 2024. Expansion to Nicosia followed. Dodo’s case is particularly interesting because it is one of the few new international chains attempting to enter the already crowded pizza market, competing against brands that have been established for decades.
Locations: 4; Nicosia 2, Limassol 2;
Category: Pizza / delivery
Akakiko
Akakiko originated in Austria, where it was founded in 1994, at a time when sushi and pan-Asian cuisine were still in the early stages of gaining popularity in the European market. In Cyprus, the first Akakiko opened at the Hilton Park in Nicosia in 2003.
Its significance lies precisely in the fact that it was an early pioneer in bringing a well-organized international Asian dining concept to the Cypriot market. Today, it operates in various formats (ranging from full-service restaurants to Akakiko2GO), demonstrating how the boundaries between casual dining, takeout, and fast food have become much more blurred.
Locations: 4
Locations: Nicosia 2, Limassol 1, Polis Chrysochous 1
Category: Asian / Japanese cuisine
Goody’s Burger House
Goody’s is a special case, as it is not an American but a Greek brand. It was founded in Thessaloniki in the 1970s and grew to become the leading domestic competitor to American burger chains in Greece. In Cyprus, the first restaurant opened in 1997, and the chain once had five locations.
In 2015, however, the chain withdrew from the Cypriot market due to problems faced by the company that was managing the trademarks at the time. The return took place in September 2022, initially in Limassol, with Cypriot investors and the new Goody’s Burger House concept. Nicosia and Paphos followed. It is therefore, along with Burger King, one of the interesting cases of a foreign brand making a second entry into the Cypriot market.
Locations: 3
Locations: Nicosia 1, Limassol 1, Paphos 1
Category: Fast food / burgers
Jamie Oliver Restaurants
Jamie Oliver’s first business venture in Cyprus came in 2016, when he opened Jamie’s Italian in Engomi. This was followed by Jamie Oliver Kitchen in Limassol Marina, introducing two distinct concepts from the British chef to the Cypriot market.
The Cypriot case also has an interesting international dimension. When Jamie Oliver’s British restaurant group collapsed in 2019 and nearly all of his restaurants in the United Kingdom closed, the international franchises were not included in the bankruptcy proceedings and continued to operate. Thus, Jamie’s Italian in Cyprus survived the collapse of the parent British chain and remains in operation to this day.
Locations: 2;
Cities: Nicosia 1, Limassol 1;
Category: Casual dining
PizzaExpress
PizzaExpress was founded in London’s Soho in 1965 by Peter Boizot, who sought to bring the Italian pizzeria model to Britain. Its presence in Cyprus began very early on. The first PizzaExpress opened in Limassol in 1998, followed by Paphos in 2000.
These two restaurants remain the chain’s entire Cypriot network, a fact that sets it apart from brands such as Pizza Hut and Domino’s. In other words, it did not pursue aggressive expansion but remained a smaller-scale casual dining concept, with a presence spanning more than a quarter of a century.
Locations: 2;
Cities: Limassol 1, Paphos 1;
Category: Pizza / casual dining
Subway
Subway belongs to the old guard of American franchises in Cyprus, but its trajectory on the island has been the opposite of that of several of its competitors. In 2019, there were eight Subway locations in operation, with the eighth opening at the Nicosia Mall at that time.
Today, its presence is significantly smaller. Kings Avenue Mall still has a Subway in Paphos, while the chain’s official international website lists a location within the British Akrotiri Base. Subway is thus one of the few cases on the map where the trend in recent years has been contraction rather than expansion.
Locations: 1 in the Republic of Cyprus, 1 at the British Bases in Akrotiri;
Outlets: Paphos 1, Limassol 1;
Category: Sandwiches / fast food
