Hungary’s Nr 2 legendary burger spot closes
‘Dixie bácsi’ (in English, it would be Uncle Dixie) opened as the second fast food restaurant in the history of Hungary. It even preceded the McDonald’s chain in the country. Now, they have to close the business because of the sky-high electricity prices they cannot pay.
Tatabánya’s first and Hungary’s second burger spot, Dixie bácsi, will open for the last time on 31 December. Endre Csongrádi, the owner, and his wife, Gyöngyi, decided to close their business because of the skyrocketing energy prices.
Mr Csongrádi opened his burger spot in 1989, at the dawn of the downfall of communism in Hungary. Since then, they have been open each day to feed the locals, and everybody coming from the neighbourhood and even from Budapest and abroad to taste their legendary burgers.
“This was our life”, the owner told kemma.hu, a news outlet of Komárom-Esztergom county. He always had a good word for everybody ordering a burger in his “restaurant”.
“It was not an easy decision, but we got tired. After a while, priorities change. First comes the family, then health, and after that, the burger”, he said. Their electricity bill hit HUF 1.4 million (EUR 3,500). Furthermore, the ingredients cost much more, too. Moreover, they have three children and eight grandchildren. Gyöngyi and Endre agree that they would like to spend more time with their family.
Long queue in front of the place days before its final closure:
“We opened this place on 16 June 1989. That was the day of the reburial of Imre Nagy, the former Hungarian prime minister of the 1956 revolution and freedom fight executed by his communist comrades in 1958. And that marked the day of PM Viktor Orbán’s probably most famous speech on Budapest’s Heroes’ Square, where he demanded the Soviet troops leave Hungary ASAP. Even the Berlin wall fell months later, and nobody talked about a Soviet withdrawal from East Europe before.
Endre Csongrádi making fries:
In 1989, there was only one fast food restaurant in Hungary, Budapest. The first day’s income was HUF 2,000, while one burger cost 34 forints then. There were so-called disco-Saturdays when they worked from 6 AM to 12 AM without a break. “We peeled 360 kilograms of potato a day”, he added. “We had to do everything with our hands. Before Christmas, we sold 56 litres of hot chocolate.” They made hundreds of burgers every day.
The fast food restaurant was profitable, and they made everything in original American fryers.
They had guests from England and California because their burgers’ fame reached even there. A girl came from Japan the other day, and a truck driver from Amsterdam to take some burgers, Mr Csongrádi told RTL News. Gyöngyi and Endre would like to find somebody who could continue their mission. Otherwise, they will sell the place.
Read alsoPHOTOS, VIDEO: Legendary Hungarian restaurant closes because of the energy crisis
Source: kemma.hu, szmo.hu, RTL News
Heartbreaking.
Joins the growing list of call them historic part of the “Fabric” of Budapest, could be said roles played as the “Soul “of Budapest, Hungary – family run businesses, that through decades post 1989 – have “Toiled” faced variations of challenges, that saw them able to survive, to now Succumb – go under, out of business due – to the Economic/Financial & Energy crisis – ESCULATING in Hungary – the MASS downward trend of Hungary.
Reference is made to Orbans speech in this article April 1989 – Heros Square – what an INSULT and a MOCKERY it is on Hungarian life to-day, that sees us descending into AGAIN a country run under a DICTATORSHIP.
Victor Orban – speech of 1989 – APPALING, to what you have GIVEN us Hungary to-day.