Vapiano

Vapiano SE is a European restaurant franchise company headquartered in Cologne. The chain's restaurants offer Italian food adhering to the fast-casual principle. Vapiano was established in 2002 in Hamburg. Its largest shareholder since 2011 is the private equity firm, Mayfair Vermögensverwaltung. Roughly one-third of the restaurants are operated by the company itself, but the majority are run as franchise or as joint ventures. In April 2017, Vapiano had 180 locations in 31 countries, including Australia, China, Egypt, and the United States. On 20 March 2020, Vapiano announced its cash-flow insolvency due to a sharp drop in sales after most restaurants had to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

== History == thumb|Restaurant in Leopoldstadt, Vienna (2009) In 2002, Mark Korzilius opened the first restaurant under the Vapiano brand name in Hamburg's Neustadt district. One month later, the company was registered as a joint-stock company according to German law under the company name of ''Mark's AG'' in the Commercial Register. In addition to Mark Korzilius, who served as the company's sole management board member, other investors were involved. The Italian architect and designer Matteo Thun contributed to the design. Among other elements, he came up with the interior design of the restaurant. At the end of 2003, the founder Mark Korzilius stepped down from his position as company chairman, and the company was also renamed Vapiano AG. Based on the model of the original Hamburg location, the company opened additional restaurants, e.g. in 2004 in Düsseldorf as well as 2005 in Frankfurt, Nuremberg and Munich. New restaurants were also established in Hamburg.