Prepare for a shocking price rise at Lake Balaton!

Catering service providers at Lake Balaton warn tourists to expect a significant price surge at the “Hungarian Sea”.

Rising ingredient prices and labour shortages

Blikk says if the government ends the price cap on cooking oil, its price will double. Restaurants and diners will have to raise their prices accordingly. Thus, you might get the famous Hungarian lángos for a double price this summer. 

The Hungarian magazine writes that owners are clueless about how much they should raise their prices. However, nobody will be able to eat a menu in a diner at Lake Balaton for less than 4 EUR this summer.

That is problematic because

the median average wage in Hungary is lower than 880 EUR per month. Thus, it will be more difficult for families to spend some quality time at the “Hungarian Sea” this summer.

Restaurant and diner owners complain because of the price rise of ingredients. Furthermore, drinks and alcoholic beverages get more expensive. On top of that, owners have to deal with higher utility fees, higher minimum wage and labour shortages.

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Lake Balaton to become a luxury for many?

Nonetheless, the owners are preparing to open. Most of them already accept guests for Easter who will find shockingly high prices in the restaurants. 

“Those who grocery shop daily can see that prices going up continuously, and the catering service providers cannot keep up with that rise” – Péter Makkos, a restaurant owner in Fonyód said. He added that wholesalers introduced daily prices. Makkos believes there will be problems with the food supply this summer.

The price rise is around 30-40 pc in Budapest, while tourists should expect a 25-30 pc surge at Lake Balaton.

Thus, everybody should forget diner menus for 4 EUR per person – Mr Makkos highlighted. The regional head of the trade union of catering service providers said that the price of the traditional lángos would skyrocket when the government abolishes the price cap on cooking oil.

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The labour shortage is a considerable problem. But

employers hope there will be more student workers this summer.

People under 25 years of age do not have to pay personal income tax thanks to a recent government measure. Therefore, they can earn 15 pc more – Mr Makkos said. He also hopes that more tourists will arrive using their SZÉP-card.

Helpersfinance.hu says that the SZÉP card (Széchenyi Recreation Card) is a special type of fringe benefit in Hungary. It can be used for three purposes: accommodation, catering and leisure. These are referred to as the “pockets” of the SZÉP card. Usually, money in a certain pocket can only be spent on that specific purpose, meaning that you can use the accommodation pocket to pay for a hotel room, but not for a meal in a restaurant. However, employees can choose how much money they would like to receive in each pocket.

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Source: Blikk