Rural hospitality is a big help to the sector. We are also past a season that has given the industry a breather. Festivals and events have shown that the Hungarian public can be counted on.
The disastrous situation caused by the pandemic has hit the hospitality industry hard. And within the sector, especially restaurants in Budapest. The rural catering sector was not in a good situation either, but there, too, it was basically based on the local public and Hungarian guests. This has perhaps made it easier for them to overcome the obstacles. What mattered a lot was the innovative forethought that drove the move, and what not everyone could do, which was to retain staff. Chef Szabolcs Dudás, a well-known chef and Vendagelight. MATUS- VAD also helps in these endeavours with the right ingredients, such as Rump steak, quail, beef cheek, or even supreme chicken.
Once life got going again, we jumped straight into a season. How did you overcome the obstacles?
We have a very strong domestic audience, so we are not so affected by the lack of tourists. Basically, we were not bored during COVID. We kept all our people and, like many people, tried to survive on home delivery. In the meantime we developed a business in Debrecen. We managed to open this unit at the end of COVID. Luckily, the public liked it straight away, but it was a big drain on our energy.
By the time the season started, you already had three shops?
Yes, by the time summer came around, we were able to open another shop. The first one in Ense was called Mother's Tale, in Miskolc it was Pizza, Coffee, World Peace, which has been open for four years now, last August we helped to open a pizza bar in Eger (a co-production), and now, on 30 April, Pizza, Coffee, World Peace in Debrecen. In a word, we are not bored at all. From in shops during the off-season we have been touring the whole country, participating in various festivals, and we have done 92 tours so far. We've also worked a lot in our own region on various gastronomic events.
What was your experience? How did these festivals and events go, because after the austerity measures people are still afraid.
At the beginning of the summer, I would say that in the hospitality sector, there was still a lot of fear in people. Then as we got further into the season, they let go of that more and more. Of course, the organisers took care of that, too, they used a lot of hygiene measures, and although it was a bit windy in places, I can say that it was absolutely fine. We went almost every week and I can see the upward trend. We are still thankfully involved in events and have a full calendar until the end of October.
So, having gone through the season and even now going to events, what kind of food are people looking for and at what price point? I mean, the wallets have gotten tighter...
It's clear that people were keen to get out and enjoy a gastronomic experience. Thankfully, we already have experience in this and know where to go, what food to bring, what they like and, most importantly, how to tailor portions. Obviously this varies from event to event and we tailor the offer and of course the prices accordingly. We have what we call standard dishes that are loved everywhere. These are pizzas, focaccia, they're all oven dishes and we vary them according to the nature of the event. There's a lot of energy and time that we put into these events, but it's a really good feeling when I notice that they know the brand. They already know us, which is the result of years of work. There have been many times when long queues have meandered in front of the Mum's Told stand and those at the back didn't even see what we were giving. But people now have the confidence in us that whatever food we come with must be good and, most importantly, affordable.
It's quite a challenge to take care of so much, how do you manage?
Indeed not easy, since it goes on for three Restaurant, during events and deployments. The logistics of this are difficult to manage. I owe a lot to the teams in the restaurants, and this is where the business policy we have always stood for comes back, that every employee is important, everyone is a link and we can tackle the most challenging tasks in hospitality by working together.
What you have said reveals one important thing, though, and that is that the Hungarian audience is indeed decisive!
Yes! That's basically what we were thinking, but before COVID, few people were paying attention to that, especially only the rural restaurants. Now it has been proven that there is a real need for gastronomy and quality among the local public. At the beginning of the summer I had hardly anything on my calendar. We only go where we are invited, and by the end we were so busy that we could hardly keep up. In a word, there is a demand and there is a market, you just have to find the voice, the food and of course the price that can make things work because there is a demand - thank goodness - from the home audience.
What kind of food are your guests most looking for? Could it be the festival line or even the restaurant line...
We'll take on anything that's needed. I think there's no shame in putting out a really good goulash, we've made sausages, or for example, in Ensen we made stuffed cabbage (which the girls stomped on) with homemade sausages and my sourdough bread. Some people asked for it three times again. My point is that the emphasis is not on big portions at the moment, the demand has finally got here, but good flavours are sought everywhere. This includes home cooking, which brings back memories of childhood, and also new dishes that can travel to the taste buds. Good ingredients must be used to make dishes that don't need to be explained. In our house, it's a standard occurrence that wherever we show up, there's oven food, as I mentioned, focaccia (focaccia) for sure, but I've also brought cheesecake.
Are there any difficulties in sourcing the raw materials?
Basically, we've been in the hospitality business for quite a long time, so we have suppliers, traders, producers that we work with. You can't say that everything always goes smoothly, but a good partnership can solve problems. It is worth remembering that „we cook with what we have”. So a restaurant should be aware of the market conditions and opportunities and adapt its offer accordingly. It is easy to say this, but it requires a lot of attention. In a word, if you can find the right suppliers, you can manage the supply. A MATUSZ- VAD-for example from Rump steak-et, a forjet, a beefgob and supreme chicken we also like to order. #
Author: Airchef/ Tamás Budafoki
Photo by Szabolcs Dudás
Where the soul is at rest, desire is born and heavenly experience is offered
„I made a lot of game dishes: hunting and gathering in the woods for the side dishes”
