The fast food industry in Georgia is facing chalanges durin the summer, which is related to workforce shortages and rising costs. Mariam Markhulia, founder of the fast food restaurant Tsitsila, shared her insights into these challenges, highlighting the pressures that come with running a high-demand, quality-driven business.
Tsitsila, known for its exclusively chicken-based menu, has rapidly gained popularity since opening its first branch a year ago. Located on Kostava Street in Tbilisi, the restaurant sells around 300 chicken sandwiches and 200 lunch boxes daily, numbers that double during promotional periods.
“Sometimes the demand is so high that we don't have enough human resources to handle it,” Markhulia told BM.GE. “For the Kostava branch, this volume is already the maximum we can manage under current conditions.”
Markhulia points out that fast food businesses, unlike traditional restaurants, must constantly innovate and refresh their menus to keep customers engaged. However, that innovation often comes with significant cost barriers.
“Delicious and unique products often require imported ingredients, which are expensive. We’ve created some great dishes, but when the cost of a single item reaches 35–40 GEL, we don’t feel comfortable offering it to our customers,” she explained. “This is one of the reasons we limit the variety, we prefer to maintain affordability without compromising quality.”
Despite these challenges, the brand continues to grow. Tsitsila currently operates two locations in Tbilisi, on Kostava Street and in Mtatsminda Park. The company has also invested in its own production facility, where it prepares fresh bread, pastries, sauces, and other ingredients for both branches.
“Staffing, supply chains, and economic pressures are all part of the fast food business today. We are adapting as best we can, but the sector definitely needs broader support to continue growing,” Markhulia noted.
