Sofia will have a green food park

The innovative project is a first for Bulgaria, but it is an established business model in Western Europe

This business project begins with a personal story. Two years ago, Slavi Hristov went out with his family to eat in Sofia. However, it turned out that one of the family wanted one thing, another – a dish from a different cuisine, and in Sofia there was simply no restaurant offering a rich variety of national cuisines.

This is how the idea for the Sofia Food Park was born, as Quartal project partners Slavi Hristov and Tsvetan Todorov recalled on Bloomberg TV Bulgaria.

The outdoor food park is being built in the Krustova Vada district in Sofia, at Cherni vrah Blvd. The infrastructure is ready and an official opening is scheduled for mid-March next year.

The site, according to the partners, was a neglected concrete jungle, which they aspired to turn into a "green" and enjoyable place with an independent power supply in the future. The 3,200-square-meter area will house 13 refurbished maritime containers, dining nooks with more than 250 seats and a parking lot for more than 40 cars. The park will be usable in winter and will offer shared workspace apart from food.

In the selection of restaurants, the partners rely on small but well-known local brands. Food will be varied and will not be duplicated. It will feature Mexican cuisine, American barbecue, hummus, vegetarian dishes. There will also be a gourmet concept. Negotiations are also underway with a bio-food provider. The names of the chefs are kept secret, except for one - Leo Bianchi, a member of the jury in the latest edition of the Bulgarian MasterChef.

Cashless payments, Food + Culture

Another innovative point is that the park will gradually switch to cashless payments. There will be a terminal at each food venue, where visitors will be able to easily select a product from the restaurant menu and pay for it with a card.

The idea of ​​the park is to provide a whole new experience that will attract people not only with quality food, but also with a series of artistic events under the motto ‘Food and Culture’, emphasize Hristov and Todorov.

The modern food park project is new to Bulgaria, but the business model is well established and similar parks can be found in many places in Western Europe, such as Prague, Valencia, Lisbon and London, the partners note.

After Sofia, the founders of the Quartal project contemplate  moving their initiative to Plovdiv and Varna.