Established in May 2024, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of City Grill Group, the City Grill Foundation strengthens its mission to support projects with a real impact on the community through partnerships with organizations recognized for their achievements in education and social inclusion. The most recent collaborations with the Royal Margareta of Romania Foundation and the Metropolis Foundation, aim to develop educational and social programs dedicated to children, young people, and seniors.
With nearly 20,000 customers daily and over 1,000 employees, City Grill Group has built, over two decades, an organizational culture based on performance, innovation, and responsibility. The launch of the City Grill Foundation marks an expansion of this vision beyond hospitality, towards supporting social projects designed to reduce inequalities and create genuine opportunities for community development.
In its first year of activity, the City Grill Foundation has also supported specific humanitarian cases, responding quickly where the need was urgent and the potential impact immediate. These interventions included assistance for people facing critical medical situations, supporting fundraising campaigns for treatments, and providing direct aid to vulnerable families.
“The City Grill Foundation was born out of the desire to turn the success of a 20-year business into a resource for the community. Over the years, we have learned that building a sustainable business goes hand in hand with supporting the community you are part of. This is why we choose to get involved in projects that deliver tangible and visible results – not only in the short term but with effects that last over time. At the same time, we step in whenever there is an urgent need and where the impact can be real, whether we are talking about education, health, or crisis situations. The partnerships with the Royal Margareta of Romania Foundation and the Metropolis Foundation are a clear example of our direction: collaborating with strong organizations, with experience and proven results, which can amplify our resources and turn them into real change for people,” said Ramona Popescu, President of the City Grill Foundation and Marketing Director of City Grill Group.
Long-Term social impact partnerships
The collaboration with the Royal Margareta of Romania Foundation takes shape through the Generations Community Centre in Bucharest, part of the national Generations program launched in 2015. This concept transforms “after-school” social centers into intergenerational spaces, where seniors share their experience and passions as volunteers, and children from disadvantaged backgrounds receive educational, emotional, and vocational support. Activities, from tutoring and practical workshops to themed clubs and mentoring, create an exchange of knowledge and values between generations, reduce social isolation among seniors, combat school dropout, and strengthen community cohesion.
At the same time, the partnership with the Metropolis Foundation supports the Young People’s Centre and the Metropolis Residential Centre, two complementary initiatives dedicated to helping children and young people from vulnerable backgrounds.
Since 2004, the Metropolis Foundation has been running social programs and projects, starting with the “Acasă” Residential Centre, later expanding to the Residential Centre for Post-Institutionalized Youth and the Day Centre for Children at Risk. All these centers operate in partnership with DGASPC Sector 6 and provide comprehensive support tailored to each beneficiary’s needs. Children and young people receive three meals a day, have continuous access to educational and personal development programs, and each benefits from an individualized plan designed to ensure successful integration into the community.
Thousands of children, young people, and seniors have directly benefited from the activities carried out through the programs supported by the Royal Margareta of Romania Foundation and the Metropolis Foundation. The impact is amplified through the involvement of families and local communities. Activities – from educational workshops and practical courses to mentoring sessions, psychological support, and cultural events – help develop skills, boost self-confidence, and strengthen social cohesion. Support from the City Grill Foundation enhances these initiatives by providing financial resources, expertise, and direct involvement, ensuring lasting impact and measurable results for the community.
“The same philosophy of active, people-focused involvement is present in the way City Grill Group operates its restaurants: we create experiences that focus on community, authentic hospitality, and human connection. Just as guests are welcomed into our locations as part of an extended family, the City Grill Foundation aims to foster that same sense of belonging in the projects and communities it supports,” added Ramona Popescu.
About the City Grill Foundation
The City Grill Foundation was established in June 2024, on the occasion of City Grill Group’s 20th anniversary, with the mission of transforming the success of Romania’s leading homegrown restaurant group into a resource for the community. Through projects and strategic partnerships, the Foundation supports education, social inclusion, cultural initiatives, and urgent humanitarian cases. Its activities focus on generating real, lasting impact, contributing to stronger, more resilient communities.
About City Grill
City Grill Group is the leading Romanian-owned player in the restaurant industry. Founded in 2004, the Group currently operates restaurants and cafés under the brands Caru’ cu Bere, Hanu’ lui Manuc, Pescăruș, Hanu’ Berarilor, Buongiorno.Italian, City Grill, City Grill Family, and City Grill Delivery, as well as La Boheme, the first hotel in its portfolio, alongside its most recent projects: Aubergine, Marty Restaurants, and the Zooma events complex in Corbeanca. From its first restaurant, City Grill Group has been driven by the idea of offering guests a place suitable for business lunches, as well as a welcoming space for family or friends to enjoy during breaks or leisure time.
Through its locations, City Grill Group caters to the urban customer who enjoys spending free time in the city and holding business or personal meetings over coffee. The menus are accessible and varied, featuring both Romanian and international cuisine.
Whether it’s iconic recipes or any other dish from the Group’s menus, the ingredients used are of the highest quality. The “secret” of the dishes in City Grill Group restaurants lies in fresh ingredients, with carefully controlled and tested sourcing, and without food additives. From freshly peeled and hand-cut fries to cage-free eggs and vegetables grown in the Group’s own greenhouse near Târgoviște, the chefs’ philosophy is to bring out the natural taste of the ingredients, enhanced simply with seasoning such as salt and pepper.
In all City Grill Group restaurants, which serve almost 15,000 customers daily, oil, glass, cardboard, and plastic are recycled, and food waste is reduced through active campaigns.
*This is a press release.
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