In keeping with the democratic spirit of Károly Gundel, the restaurant’s founder, guests with hearing or visual impairments will now receive special attention at the restaurant. The waiting staff have learnt basic sign language in two languages, whilst guests with visual impairments can choose from a menu written in Braille.

This year marks the 130th anniversary of the building in Városliget that we now know as the Gundel restaurant. It was commissioned by Ferenc Wampetics in 1894 to house his popular restaurant and dining venue, which also served as a gathering place for bohemian circles. After the art-loving restaurateur retired in 1910, he chose Károly Gundel as his successor, who, over the following decades, turned the restaurant bearing his name into an institution of European renown and a true household name.

A unique initiative for people with hearing and visual impairments

To mark this significant anniversary, the Eventrend group, which operates the restaurant, has launched a unique CSR project, which it presented to the public at a press event. Hosting the programme was Károly Gundel’s great-grandson, Gábor Gundel Takács It evoked the legacy of the legendary restaurateur, which, alongside innovation, has always been characterised by a democratic spirit and an openness towards the general public.

“Gundel is not just a restaurant, but a part of our living history, the guardian of our cultural and gastronomic heritage, which means something to most Hungarians,” he said Jenő Magyary, Managing Director of Gundel. Károly Gundel was not only a talented businessman and a creative artist with exquisite taste, but also a great innovator who demonstrated his social conscience on countless occasions throughout his career. The restaurant’s latest innovation is in keeping with this ethos: the waiting staff have learnt basic sign language in English and Hungarian, and a Braille menu has been produced for the visually impaired, which also tells the story behind the dishes.In addition to all this, accessible access is also a priority on the restaurant’s premises. This focus on people with disabilities shows that Gundel Restaurant is an inclusive community where every guest is special and valued, the director added.

The short film below shows how sign language training for staff took place at Gundel.

Reaching out to a wider audience

The founder and owner of the Eventrend Group, Zoltán Kőrössy He explained that Károly Gundel ran his restaurant in Városliget in such a way that it was accessible to as many people as possible. He did not intend it to be a luxury restaurant, but rather a middle-class eatery, where a terrace seating a thousand people was open in the summer, whilst the beer garden, open to those on a tight budget, offered inexpensive dishes such as boiled eggs in goulash sauce, boiled sausages or beer-baked bread. He shaped Gundel into a place defined by fine cuisine, innovation, the preservation of traditions and hospitality.

The restaurant’s current management wishes to bring this philosophy back within the walls of the 130-year-old building, and it is in this spirit that it has coined the slogan „Gendel belongs to everyone”. ­

Zoltán Kőrössy added that Hungary’s gastronomic heritage is inseparable from the restaurant, as it is to Károly Gundel that we owe, amongst other things, such iconic dishes as chicken paprikash as we know it today, the Bakony cutlet, the Carpathian pike-perch fillet and the Gundel pancake.

In keeping with this theme, guests will also find the „National 11’ – a selection of the most famous dishes – on the menu. At the end of the press event, the guests were treated to a three-course tasting menu featuring these dishes.

An awareness-raising promotional film has also been produced

Gundel’s commitment to social responsibility is showcased in a recently filmed short film directed by the filmmaker behind, amongst others, *The Exam* and *Post Mortem* Péter Bergendy produced. The film director said at the press conference that the three-minute promotional film offers a glimpse into the workings of this restaurant – with its rich history and ever-evolving nature – through a simple yet very human story.

Double-digit growth in turnover is the target for this year

The operator of the Gundel restaurant is forecasting a 20 per cent increase in turnover this year. In 2023, turnover rose to 1.5 billion forints, with profits amounting to roughly 8–10 per cent of this figure, according to preliminary data, said Jenő Magyary, managing director of Gundel, in response to an enquiry from MTI.

The restaurant reopened in 2021 and broke even in 2022, despite the impact of the pandemic. Whilst 55,000 guests visited Gundel in 2022, last year the figure was nearly 57,000. This year, their aim is to serve 70,000–75,000 guests. They have increased their workforce; having had 74 staff last year, they now have a team of 80. “This year, too, we would like to achieve a profit margin of 5–10 per cent of turnover,” he added.

He also mentioned that, this March, work will continue on modernising the listed building with the refurbishment of the entire façade, and part of the event space will also be refurbished, at an estimated cost of 30 million forints.