Hood Burger in Rudnik: a franchise following the closure of Lars & Sven

A Hood Burger franchise run by the company Hamburger is operating at the former flagship Lars & Sven restaurant in Rudnik, Ljubljana. Svet24 reported on the business at the same location on 2 November 2026, citing Necenzurirano. The report links the arrival of another restaurant brand with the closure of the previous chain, but these are different companies with separate business histories.

Same location, different brand and operator

Hamburger was founded by Primož Novak, the former owner of the Lars & Sven chain. According to Svet24, he established it three days after the chain’s closure was announced, before Hipster entered bankruptcy proceedings. Hamburger now runs the Hood Burger franchise in Rudnik, in the premises previously occupied by Lars & Sven’s flagship restaurant.

For those following Slovenia’s franchise market, the key change is straightforward: a different brand now operates at an established restaurant location through a franchise operator. It is important to distinguish between the restaurant’s name, the company operating it and the company whose business ended in bankruptcy. Hood Burger is the brand of the current franchise outlet, Hamburger is its operator, and Hipster is the company in bankruptcy proceedings.

A shared address does not, in itself, explain the relationship between the two companies. Nor should the new operator’s business be equated with that of the previous chain. When assessing such a change, revenue, liabilities and bankruptcy information must therefore be attributed to the relevant company, rather than simply to the location or the brand customers see when they arrive.

Hipster in bankruptcy, with few assets available to creditors

According to Svet24, the Lars & Sven chain ceased trading at the end of 2025. Hipster entered bankruptcy proceedings in February 2026 following a petition by its director, Maja Novak. The company left almost €1 million in debts to creditors, the largest of which was NLB.

Bankruptcy administrator Alenka Krivec Nabernik raised only a few tens of thousands of euros from the sale of the remaining assets, with the proceeds earmarked for the costs of the proceedings. Svet24 therefore reports that virtually nothing remains in the bankruptcy estate for the 21 creditors who lodged claims. This is the central financial fact about Hipster’s closure: substantial creditor claims are set against very limited remaining assets.

These figures relate to Hipster, not to Hood Burger or Hamburger. That distinction also matters when interpreting the news about the Rudnik franchise. A restaurant operating at the former Lars & Sven address does not mean that repayment of the previous operator’s creditors has been resolved.

Hamburger’s figures cover only a short trading period

Svet24 states that Hamburger generated €86,000 in revenue and €1,435 in net profit during just over a month of trading in 2025. These figures concern the new company operating the franchise and cover a short initial period, not a full financial year.

They should therefore not be presented as the Rudnik outlet’s annual performance or as a benchmark for the profitability of other Hood Burger franchises. The reported revenue and net profit describe the performance of a specific company over the stated period. They do not, on their own, indicate what its results will be after a full year of trading.

For a prospective franchise partner, this limited reporting period matters when assessing the figures. Initial results and long-term business viability are not the same thing. A comparison with Hipster’s almost €1 million in debts would also conflate different financial measures at different companies: the new company’s revenue and profit on one side, and the liabilities of a company in bankruptcy on the other.

Novak denies allegations of harming creditors’ interests

According to Svet24, Novak denies allegations that he harmed creditors’ interests. He says he ceased to hold an ownership stake in Hipster at the end of 2022, stepped down as its authorised commercial representative in November 2024 and ended his employment in January 2025. He also stated that he held no formal role in the company when it entered bankruptcy proceedings and that no assets had been transferred from Hipster to the new company.

Svet24 also notes that Novak was still publicly discussing the business in October 2025, when he announced that the Rudnik restaurant would reopen. His explanations and the reported timeline should be considered together, without drawing conclusions about legal liability in the absence of further evidence. Allegations and denials are not equivalent to a finding of wrongdoing.

Practical takeaway: when assessing a franchise opportunity, check the specific operator, the period covered by its financial figures and the contractual arrangements. A familiar location or a new brand alone tells you too little about the company’s business position.