PHOTOS: Budapest’s legendary confectionery closed

Many service providers cannot afford the increased utility, maintenance and ingredient costs. This is one of the reasons why a confectionery shop that has been open for 130 years closes its doors in Budapest. The Hauer Confectionery has been the favourite of many over the past almost one and a half century. Now, it is with deep regret and great sadness that they announced: they cannot stay open any longer.

There are many reasons for the closure

Due to increased energy and raw material costs, declining tourism and low customer numbers, the Hauer Confectionery and Café closed. The announcement was made by the confectionery on its Facebook page on Monday night.

Like everyone else, service providers are under pressure these days, Index writes. Those who survived the Covid period and did not close down for good are now worried about increased overheads. And, on top of that, the price of the raw material for a pastry shop has skyrocketed. This, coupled with fewer tourists and the thinner Hungarian wallets, has forced Hauer to close.

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The history of Hauer Confectionery

The restaurant was founded in 1890 by Nándor Kazilek, hvg.hu reports. After his death six years later, the then suburban restaurant was taken over by his widow’s new husband, Rezső Hauer. The confectionery then grew steadily. Soon, the shop on Rákóczi Road was stocked with a range of homemade sweets. The most famous product, however, was not the chocolate, but Rezső Hauer’s creamy pastry with pineapple and whipped cream.

Like the cake, the name of its maker became a household word. After Emil Gerbeaud’s death in 1920, Hauer was elected Honorary President of the Budapest Confectioners’ and Gingerbread Makers’ Association. The golden age of the family, which employed over a hundred people before the war, ended in 1949. The Hauers were also caught up in the nationalisation process. The Confectionery Factory took over the brand name and the operation, and in 1956, it was transferred to the District VIII Catering Company.

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For the past five years, there has been no creamy pastry

Although the atmosphere of the place was still reminiscent of the happy peacetime, the name changed. It was renamed Erkel from the nearby theatre. The enlarged portal was emblazoned with that company name instead of Hauer until 1970. After the change of regime, the place went through several changes of ownership, and finally reopened in 2017, although the creamy pastry was missing from the selection.

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Source: Index.hu, hvg.hu