The Asian Restaurant Industry in Trondheim: Companies, Statistics, and Outlooks

The Asian restaurant industry in Trondheim is a dynamic sector with 14 registered companies in the municipality. In recent years, the industry has experienced both growth and decline, with a total sales value of over 50 million NOK in 2022. There is a clear variation in company size and financial health, with some companies achieving high EBITDA margins and others facing negative operating results. The industry is most active in Trondheim city center, with less presence in Tiller and Saupstad. For entrepreneurs, it is important to assess both market opportunities and competition in a sector that grew by 11% in 2022 but later experienced a decline.

Sales and employee development

The industry experienced significant sales growth from 2016 to 2022, with an annual growth rate of 11.5%. This was followed by a decline of 24.7% from 2023 to 2024. Employee development shows a similar pattern, with a peak of 183 employees in 2022 and a decline to 121 employees in 2025. This may be due to variations in operating results and company structure, as well as external factors such as the pandemic and economic conditions.

Key players in the industry

Trondheim has 14 registered Asian restaurants, including the most well-known:

• Thai Thai Trondheim As (Brattørgata 5): 14 employees, 10.7M in sales, 3% EBITDA margin
• Trondheim Thaimat As (Søndre gate 17): 12 employees, 8.5M in sales, 8% EBITDA margin
• Phu Yen As (Repslagerveita 2): 3 employees, 5.2M in sales, 5% EBITDA margin

Most companies are organized as AS, with 11 companies in this form. There are no registered bankruptcies in the industry, but some companies have negative operating results, such as Thai Kjøkken As (operating result of 105,000 NOK) and Szechuan Restaurant As (operating result of 1.3M NOK).

Distribution of activity in the municipality

Most Asian restaurants are located in Trondheim city center, with 8 companies and 80 employees. Tiller and Saupstad have less activity, with 2 and 1 companies respectively. It is particularly interesting that Saupstad has company activity with 6.9M in sales, but no profit. This may indicate special conditions in these areas.

The industry has no registered bankruptcies, which shows relative stability. However, financial data shows that some companies have negative operating results, such as Thai Kjøkken As (operating result of 105,000 NOK) and Szechuan Restaurant As (operating result of 1.3M NOK). This may be due to high labor costs or low sales margins. EBITDA margins vary from 0% (for Thai Kjøkken As) to 8% (for Trondheim Thaimat As).

For entrepreneurs in the Asian restaurant industry in Trondheim, it is important to assess both growth opportunities and competition. The industry experienced significant growth in 2022, but later experienced a decline. This may be due to variations in customer spending and economic conditions. Entrepreneurs should also consider locating their companies in Trondheim city center, where there is the most activity. It is also possible to leverage the positive EBITDA margins shown by some companies, such as Trondheim Thaimat As (8%) and Phu Yen As (5%).

Comparison with the broader sector

The Asian restaurant industry is part of the broader restaurant/café sector in Trondheim, which has 473 companies. The broader sector had a sales value of 2,338.8M NOK in 2025, with an 8.1% decline compared to 2024. EBITDA margins in the broader sector vary from 1.8% (for Flipper Bar As) to 141% (for Szechuan Restaurant As). This shows that the Asian restaurant industry has both high and low EBITDA margins compared to the rest of the sector. Entrepreneurs should also consider competition from other companies in the sector, such as Norrein As (129.4M in EBITDA) and God Pizza As (7.0M in EBITDA).

The Asian restaurant industry in Trondheim has both opportunities and challenges. With 14 companies and a total sales value of over 50 million NOK in 2022, it is a significant sector. Entrepreneurs should consider locating their companies in Trondheim city center, where there is the most activity. It is also possible to leverage the positive EBITDA margins shown by some companies. SmartGrunder can help entrepreneurs find suitable locations and assess market opportunities in this sector.