Nine years in Huntington Beach, California
Monica Ciobanu and her brother Claudiu Lucaci left Iasi in 2011. Destination: Huntington Beach, near Los Angeles, on the Pacific coast. It was not their first attempt in the US — Monica's husband had already been working there since 2008.
In California, Monica joined a catering company that organized corporate events. She started as a delivery driver. She became a manager. Her salary reached $4,000 a month; her husband earned more. Claudiu, meanwhile, built cooking experience in kitchens across Europe and the United States.
Huntington Beach is a surf town with a long boardwalk, permanent sunlight and a surprisingly large Romanian community. Monica told BZI that they left with the plan to work abroad and come back. "The children should be able to see their grandparents, to feel the traditions here" — that mattered more than the salary.
The return: 2020, a pandemic and an empty restaurant
They came back to Iasi in 2020, exactly when the pandemic was rewriting the rules for everyone. It was not the ideal moment to open a restaurant. But they did not change the plan.
Big5 American Diner opened at 17 Theodor Rascanu Street, near Kaufland and the Alexandru cel Bun underpass. They decorated the space themselves — American posters, booths, warm lighting and a retro aesthetic that does not imitate America but filters it through a local sensibility.
The first weeks were hard. Monica recalled that sometimes a full week passed without customers. An empty restaurant, in a city barely emerging from lockdown, with restrictions changing from one day to the next.
But they did not stop. Claudiu ran the kitchen. Monica handled sourcing and administration. The beef came — and still comes — from a local producer, delivered daily. The buns are fresh. The sauces are house-made. Nothing frozen, nothing prefabricated.
What they brought from California and what they left behind
When you walk into Big5, you do not feel like you are in a restaurant trying to look American. You feel like you are in a place made by people who lived there and understood what works.
From California they brought three essential things:
- The quality standard of a burger. Not the oversized patty. Not the sweet sauce. But the balance: juicy beef, a soft but sturdy bun, properly melted cheese, fresh vegetables. Their signature Big5 Burger is built on beef ribeye with bacon, cheddar, guacamole, caramelized onion and a house sauce.
- The diner atmosphere. In American diners, you sit down, order and feel welcome no matter who you are. It is not fine dining. It is not fast food. It is something in between — a warm, unpretentious place where the food is serious even if the tone is relaxed.
- The idea of a community table. Big5 encourages guests to share a table when the restaurant is full. If they agree, dessert is on the house. A small gesture, but it says a lot about the kind of place they want to build.
What they left in California: pretension. Big5 is not expensive. You do not need a special occasion to come. Check the menu for current prices.
80 percent of customers come back
That number, mentioned by Monica in an interview, says more than any five-star review. In a university city where options multiply every season, having four out of five customers return means the promise is delivered consistently, not just at launch.
If you read the Big5 reviews, a pattern emerges: people mention the meat, the atmosphere, the music and the staff — in that order. "It feels like being in an American movie" is a phrase that comes up often, in different variations.
The Google rating is 4.9 out of 5, with hundreds of reviews. It is one of the highest scores for any restaurant in Iasi, and the volume of feedback makes the average hard to dispute.
Big5 grew through people who ate, liked what they had and told others. No paid influencers, no aggressive campaigns. Direct recommendation remains the most effective marketing channel a restaurant can have.
What the Big5 story says about Iasi today
Monica and Claudiu's story is not just about a restaurant. It is about a phenomenon that Iasi is experiencing more and more visibly: people who left, gained experience abroad and came back with ideas, standards and courage.
The city is changing. Not on the surface, where infrastructure remains a perennial topic. But at the level of cultural and gastronomic offerings. The Iasi of 2026 has a restaurant scene that the Iasi of 2015 could not have imagined. And part of that growth comes precisely from people who saw how things work elsewhere and decided it can be done here too.
Big5 is not the only example, but it is one of the clearest: a tested concept, brought home, adapted and validated by an audience that knows what it wants.
If you have not been yet
Big5 American Diner is at 17 Theodor Rascanu Street, Iasi, near the Alexandru cel Bun underpass and Kaufland Alexandru. Opening hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 AM to 9:30 PM. The restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
You can also order through Glovo or Wolt if you prefer delivery.
If you want to learn more about the history of the American diner or how the burger evolved over time, we have dedicated articles on the blog.
And if you are curious about the full menu or want to see what others say about the experience, the reviews page and FAQ section are up to date.
