From the first foodtruck in Bucharest to cloud kitchens: how Burger Van used ads to grow business by 72%

Glovo
Glovo
September 25, 2025 • 3 minutes

Burger Van launched as a pioneer the first foodtruck in Bucharest 11 years ago. Today, it’s a major player in the city with five Cookrooms (virtual kitchens) and four street foodtrucks, skillfully navigating market shifts.

However, Burger Van quickly faced skyrocketing competition. Within five years, the foodtruck scene in Bucharest exploded from 1 to around 400 trucks. Standing out became a significant challenge.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift to food delivery, pushing Burger Van to establish virtual kitchens and launch virtual brands like Smash Bros. For these digital-only brands, customer connection happens solely through apps, making visibility a pivotal challenge to win among fierce competition in digital platforms. Moreover, the Romanian market is heavily "promotion driven," demanding a strategy that balances high visibility with appealing offers.

The Glovo solution

Burger Van approached advertising with Glovo Partner Ads by focusing on visibility, targeted promotions, and budget management.

Realizing that just showing up organically wasn't cutting it anymore, they tried Glovo's sponsored listings solution. To stand out in a packed market, Burger Van needed to make sure customers could see their brand. Using Glovo Partner Ads helped to appear at the top of the search. Therefore, since they started using ads on Glovo in March 2023, impressions increased by 211%. 

They also combined advertising with ongoing promotions, offering a percentage off the order value. These were tailored for each brand and tied to ad budgets, a perfect combo for Romania's deal-savvy customers. Smart budget management is pivotal in their approach, with about 5% of their Glovo revenue going back into ads. They particularly value Glovo Ads’ feature that enables them to monitor budget on a monthly basis to keep the budget spent under control easily. 

Their advertising approach shifts based on what each brand needs: building more brand awareness for Burger Van, and driving up sales for virtual brands like Smash Bros. Glovo Ads was also a game-changer for launching new stores, with Glovo being notably quick to help get these new spots off the ground. When opening new locations, they set more ads and eye-catching discount campaigns.

Alexandru Manole, Burger Van founder: "The possibility to set a monthly budget, unlike other platforms, helps us keep costs under control [...]. You have to pop up, so the ads allow you to put you in front of the pack and the client sees you."

Key Results

With Glovo Partner Ads and in 1 year, Burger Van achieved…

  • + 72% in revenue growth
  • Increase X3 time the number of orders for Smash Bros virtual brand
  • 6.05x ROAS for every euro invested, they earned more than 6 euros in return.

*Results since Burger Van started investing in Glovo Ads in March 2024 to April 2025


The collaboration with Glovo Partner Ads has yielded tangible benefits for Burger Van. Since initiating their ad investment, campaigns for Burger Van and Smash Bros have achieved an average ROAS of 6.05. This translated into a 76% increase in orders and a 72% rise in revenue. Virtual brands like Smash Bros saw a direct impact on sale and order volumes multiplied by 3. For their primary Burger Van brand, ad campaigns have noticeably boosted brand visibility and awareness (+211% impressions).

The support of Glovo Partner Ads has also been instrumental in the successful opening of new locations, with two more planned for 2025. Managing their ad spend effectively, aided by the monthly budget control feature, is a key component of their sustainable growth.

Burger Van's experience demonstrates how adapting to market dynamics and utilising tools like Partner Ads can foster significant, lasting growth in the competitive food delivery sector.