Some people book here from far away, from the other side of the continent or the world, because there is no other restaurant in Europe as special. But it's also a special place for people who live nearby in the city centre, where the lack of green space makes it difficult to keep pets.
Zoo Café opened in 2014 in the 5th district of Budapest. The aim was to give guests the chance to meet some animals while enjoying a delicious coffee, cake, sandwich or ice cream. We talked to Brigitta Ondok, the manager, who is allergic to cat hair, in the company of nearly sixty animals, in the immediate vicinity of two beautiful and huge cats.
- What do you consider yourself to be first and foremost, a caterer or a pet sitter?
- For both. I have been working in the hospitality industry for several years, hosting others. At the same time, animals need to be cared for, understood and looked after. All colleagues here are aware of the rules and regulations regarding animals and their needs. In addition, we employ special animal carers who look after the animals and present them to our guests during opening hours and supervise them.
- Are animal keepers also involved in serving guests?
- No, it is completely separate. Guests can order from the waiters and the caretakers bring the animals to the tables. They tell you the most important things to know, and they look after them in the guest area. This prevents accidents and helps people who want to return their animals or ask questions about them.
- How do animals cope with being fed sandwiches or biscuits?
- Our house rules, which guests must accept, include that you are not allowed to feed the animals. This is strictly forbidden. For example, cats are not allowed to eat whipped cream, and bunnies are only allowed to have the reward treats we provide.
- Please let's also talk about the health of our guests. Is it okay that on the table where your coffee and sandwich will be served, there are two beautiful cats lying?
- Yes. Cleanliness is a basic requirement in a restaurant and we have to take extra care because we keep animals. We have to change the litter frequently, prevent the spread of bad smells, disinfect the tables constantly. Even before COVID, we provided hand sanitiser for our guests. Anyway, people who come to us know what to expect and we have never had a problem with animals resting on tables and chairs.
- How can you afford double staff and the costs of constant cleaning and disinfection?
- If you look at our price list, you'll see that we're slightly more expensive than the average café. But we provide a service alongside our food, while caring for nearly sixty animals. We don't have a separate entrance fee, but we do ask everyone to have a snack when they come in. In addition to the staff who serve the animals, we also have to pay the caretakers. There are extra costs for a veterinary beautician, professionally equipped terrariums and veterinary supervision. All these factors mean that we work with higher than usual prices.
- How do the animals get here?
- All animals are owned by the café and we have been working with the same breeders and professionals for a long time. They come to us at a young age and we gradually get them used to the new breed. Slowly they get to know each other and get used to each other. From here, they will be adopted out when they are older and we adopt them through an adoption contract, or we, the staff, take them in.
- Does it harm animals to be so close to people?
- We select the animals so that neither species is a danger to the other, and they get so used to each other that there are no problems. As for their attitude to people, we found that during the COVID closures, for example, the cats would sit in the doorway for days and days, not understanding why people weren't coming in. But even the reptiles sensed that something was wrong, for example the chameleons were standing at the door of the terrarium asking to be taken out. We were here every day, of course, because we had to look after the animals.
- So the colleagues did not have to be dismissed when the café was closed.
- Many of the colleagues are still at school and work only part-time alongside university. We had a reduced staff during the closures and when we were able to open, we could continue working with the whole old team.
- You are sometimes attacked and confused with the café with the similar profile that was closed down years ago due to scandalous circumstances. Doesn't that make the owner feel insecure?
- We fully comply with all regulations and our café has been operating smoothly since 2014. Of course, there are many pitfalls, precisely because it is a special business. There is no other place like the Zoo Café in the whole of Europe, which is why we have so many people coming to us from abroad, even now, during the epidemic. At the moment we only have one Hungarian table, the rest are all foreigners. Weekends, holidays and school holidays are always full and you have to book 2-3 days in advance. Foreigners usually do this a month before their arrival. We have returning guests who are specifically passionate about an animal and come to us for it. Some come for therapeutic reasons, such as people with Alzheimer's who benefit from being around animals or have a phobia of animals. And some come to see how difficult it is to keep animals. Then they either get the urge and go for it themselves or they don't.
- What do you welcome guests with besides animals?
- There is no hot food, but we offer pastries, hot sandwiches, handmade cakes and coffees, hot chocolate and lemonade. Our coffees are from Italy, we use top-quality French syrups and we have been ordering our cakes from the same source since the beginning, so we strive to make our customers feel that they are getting premium quality for their money.#
