Montenegro’s Tourism Inspection partially closed Gurman, a fast-food outlet in Podgorica, on 4 November 2026, sealing its equipment after the business was re-registered as a retail operation. Inspector Ivana Mašković said the owner could no longer use the sealed equipment for hospitality activity and that continuing such activity would be treated as a criminal offence.
Mašković visited the outlet in Block 5 at about 11 a.m. with another inspector. They did not put an official seal on the entrance; instead, they sealed all equipment inside the premises. Mašković said the retail operation would be handled by the competent services, without specifying what action those services would take.
The firm operating the outlet within Riva R DOO had since been re-registered and now operates as a retailer, Mašković said. The inspection’s measure concerned the equipment used for hospitality activity. She said the owner could no longer conduct that activity using the sealed equipment, while the outlet’s operation as a retail business would be dealt with by the relevant services.
The intervention followed an earlier attempt to close Gurman on 27 October 2026, when the Tourism Inspection placed an official seal on the door. According to reports, the owner broke that seal after the attempted closure. On 4 November, the inspectors sealed the equipment rather than placing another official seal on the entrance.
Police officers had arrived at the premises before the inspectors, according to unofficial information. The officers remained at the door throughout the visit so nobody could enter, the information said. It did not provide further details about the police presence.
Lease dispute with property owner
The inspection’s action comes amid a court dispute between Gurman’s owner and Euro Petrol, which owns the premises. The case concerns the outlet’s continued use of the space after the lease expired, the conditions for conducting hospitality activity and the business’s operating hours. The dispute is before the Basic Court in Podgorica.
The lease for Gurman’s premises expired on 27 May 2026. Euro Petrol said it had informed the tenant in time that it would not renew the lease because it planned to renovate the building. The company said it gave the tenant two deadlines to hand over the premises.
Euro Petrol Chief Executive Miran Gašaj said the tenant had not moved out despite the notices and the expiry of the contract. The company therefore requested action by the competent authorities, he said. Euro Petrol’s stated reason for ending the tenancy was its planned renovation of the building.
The parties’ dispute also covers the conditions for hospitality operations and the outlet’s opening hours, in addition to the right to continue using the premises after the rental agreement ended. Those issues are before the Basic Court in Podgorica. The inspection’s action was to seal equipment at the outlet, while the court case concerns the parties’ lease and operating disagreements.
Owner calls for institutional resolution
Gurman owner Radulović said he would not give on-camera comments or answer individual questions about proceedings that were under way. In a statement, he said the administrative and civil-law disputes had been submitted to the relevant judicial, state and local bodies for resolution.
Radulović described the case as a business relationship between two commercial entities that “has no wider social significance”. He said the parties and the public had an interest in resolving it through lawful institutional procedures rather than public exchanges. He also urged the other party to present its arguments and facts in the appropriate institutional settings, “without creating media pressure”.
Radulović said the disputes should be resolved by institutions on the basis of facts and evidence. He argued that the other party’s effort to present the case publicly “indicates they are trying to make up for a lack of legal and factual arguments through media attention”. He said the matter should be concluded through institutional procedures rather than public polemics.
