Vapiano

Vapiano is a German fresh casual restaurant chain offering Italian food. The concept is a pizza and pasta bar, where food is made to order. Vapiano also serves made-to-order salads and dessert and has a bar with alcoholic beverages available. There are 140 restaurants all over the world, 45 of which are located in Germany where the concept was invented in 2002.^[1][2] Vapiano has its headquarters in Bonn.

Vapiano employs an interface for customers to order and pay for their food with. Each diner is provided an RFID chip card (even if dining together to avoid customers charging one card and waving another when exiting) that the customer waves in front of the counter when ordering food and drink. When the dinner is finished, the card is waved in front of the register and the bill appears on the screen. All dough and pasta are manufactured on-site in a glass room so that customers can watch while waiting in line. All of the herbs and salad greens are grown in an enclosed space in the dining area.

Concept

Vapiano restaurant in Vienna

Vapiano was created by a group of entrepreneurs. It offers a dining experience that combines fast food and a more extravagant experience, with distinctively modern Italian decor and high quality food options, including hand-tossed pizzas and freshly made pasta that they use in their dishes.

History

Vapiano was founded by Kent Hahne, Klaus Rader and Mark Korzilius in 2002, the first restaurant opened in October 2002 in Hamburg. Mr. Hahne is now expanding VAPIANO full-time and with a group of experts he is responsible for worldwide franchise sales, support and communications.^[3]

The world's biggest Vapiano is located in Bonn, Germany.^[4]

In Australia

In Australia, Vapiano has one or more restaurants in each of the following cities:^[2]

• Brisbane
• Sydney
• Gold Coast
• Melbourne

In the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, Vapiano has 3 restaurants in London. One in Great Portland Street, one in Southwark Street and another in Wardour Street

In the United States

In the United States, Vapiano has one or more restaurants in each of the following cities:^[5]

• Arlington, Virginia (opened in 2007)^[6]
• Bethesda, Maryland (opened summer 2010; closed October 2014)
• Boston, Massachusetts (closed as of 2014)
• Charlotte, North Carolina (opened late spring 2011)
• Chicago (opened summer 2011)
• Dallas, Texas (opened in May 2009)^[7]
• Dulles Town Center, Virginia (opened in 2007)^[6]
• Miami, Florida
• New York City (near Union Square opened on July 14, 2010)^[8]
• Washington, D.C. (a first one in Dupont Circle opened in 2007 and a second one in Chinatown opened in March 2009)^[6]
• Reston, Virginia (opened June 29, 2011)

Additional locations in New York City and Chicago as well as a new restaurant in Orlando, Florida are planned to be completed in 2013.^[9]

In other countries

Besides in Germany, Vapiano has opened locations in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Estonia, Finland,Turkey ,France, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Romania, Qatar, Saudi-Arabia, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, South Korea, Taiwan, the UAE, Ukraine, Bahrain, Azerbaijan and recently opened in Kuwait.^[2] and Chile.^[10]

See also

• List of Italian restaurants

References

External links

• Vapiano's official website