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From Crypto to Cuisine: Vladyslav Savchenko Sells Coin Sushi After Turning a Restaurant Into a Fintech Lab
29 Jun 2026
Warsaw, Poland — In an industry where most innovation happens behind screens, Vladyslav Savchenko took an unconventional route: he brought fintech into the physical world. The result was Coin Sushi, a restaurant launched in 2023 not just as a dining concept, but as a real-world testing ground for cryptocurrency payments, ERP systems, and financial infrastructure.
Today, that experiment has officially come to an end. Coin Sushi has been successfully acquired by Ninja Group, marking the conclusion of one of the crypto industry’s most unusual and practical case studies.
A Restaurant Built With a Purpose
The idea behind Coin Sushi emerged from a clear challenge: fintech products are difficult to test without real-world usage. Simulated environments and pilot programs often fail to capture the complexity of live operations, customer behavior, and transactional pressure.
To address this, Savchenko and his team decided to create their own environment—one where every transaction, order, and system interaction could serve as a test case.
The team already held a VASP license, allowing them to legally work with cryptocurrencies, including stablecoins and other digital assets. This regulatory foundation made it possible to integrate crypto payments directly into a functioning business.
“We considered various formats — from a coffee shop to a restaurant. But our research showed that a sushi restaurant could be economically viable,” said Savchenko, who is also the founder of Finunion.
From Concept to Reality
Coin Sushi was established near Warsaw’s Old Town in a compact 110-square-meter space, with seating for approximately 22–24 guests. While modest in size, the restaurant was designed to maximize operational learning.
The launch process presented challenges. With limited experience in the restaurant industry, the team postponed opening multiple times—from February to March, then April and May—before entering a testing phase in mid-May 2023. Full-scale operations began in June.
Once operational, the restaurant quickly proved both commercially viable and technically valuable.
Within its first year:
- Monthly turnover reached approximately €40,000
- Two ERP systems were tested for internal operations
- Three proprietary cryptocurrency payment systems were deployed
Each of these systems was tested in real conditions, providing continuous feedback and data.
Product Innovation and Market Response
While fintech defined the infrastructure, customer demand was driven by product creativity and marketing execution.
The restaurant’s signature item—sushi-dogs, a hot dog-style fried sushi roll—became a central part of its identity. The product’s unique format made it highly shareable on social media.
A TikTok video created by a Polish influencer generated approximately one million views, leading to a sharp increase in demand. The results were immediate:
- The restaurant operated at full seating capacity for weeks
- Corporate orders reached 150–200 sushi-dogs at a time
- Brand awareness expanded rapidly across Warsaw
This demonstrated how strong product-market fit and viral distribution could amplify even a small-scale operation.
Where the Model Reached Its Limits
Despite its success, Coin Sushi also revealed important limitations.
The restaurant’s small size, lack of a summer terrace, and difficulties in obtaining a liquor license constrained its ability to increase revenue and average order value. These structural factors made it difficult to scale the business within its existing format.
“We realized that for stable and meaningful income in this model, you need a minimum of 3–4 locations or a separate management company. A single restaurant, despite all efforts, remained more of an experiment than a scalable business,” Savchenko explained.
This realization forced a strategic decision: expand into a multi-location operation or exit while the concept was validated.
Acquisition and Expansion
Following interest from multiple players in the restaurant industry, Coin Sushi was acquired by Ninja Group, an international restaurant group co-founded by Oleksii Kostylov.
The acquisition allowed the concept to transition from an experimental platform into a scalable business model. Leveraging its operational expertise and infrastructure, Ninja Group integrated Coin Sushi into its portfolio and rapidly expanded its presence.
After the deal:
- The concept was incorporated into Ninja Group’s operations
- Two additional locations were opened in Warsaw
- Operational efficiency improved through scale and experience
A Completed Experiment
For Savchenko, the success of Coin Sushi is defined not just by its financial performance or exit, but by its original mission: testing fintech solutions in a real-world environment.
“For us, Coin Sushi was not just a restaurant, but a practical testing ground for verifying fintech hypotheses in a real-world environment. From that perspective, the project fully accomplished its mission,” he concluded.
About Coin Sushi
Coin Sushi is a Warsaw-based restaurant concept launched in 2023, combining Japanese-inspired cuisine with real-world testing of cryptocurrency payments and business technologies.
About Finunion
Finunion is a fintech company focused on developing financial infrastructure and cryptocurrency-based payment systems.
About Ninja Group
Ninja Group is an international restaurant operator specializing in scalable dining concepts and multi-location expansion.
