End of an era: Legendary Hungarian Olympic champion’s restaurant closes its doors

It is challenging to keep a business alive during the current economic situation. According to an official announcement, Koool, the restaurant owned by Hungarian Olympic champion Katinka Hosszú and her husband Máté Layber-Gelencsér, closed its doors on the 8th of April. Here is their farewell to customers.

The “Iron Lady”

Katinka Hosszú is known in many countries. She is a Hungarian competitive swimmer who is best known for her success in the individual medley events. Hosszú has competed in multiple Olympic Games, World Championships, and European Championships, where she has earned numerous medals. Outside of her swimming career, she is also known for her entrepreneurial endeavours.

Photo: FB

End of an era for the Hungarian Olympic champion

Turizmus.com reports that Hosszú’s restaurant closes forever on the 8th of April. The eatery posted the announcement on their Facebook page on the 5th of April. Their main reason behind the hard and saddening decision was that they could not maintain the quality of the food in the current economic setting. In a Facebook post, they wrote:

Dear Guests!
Unfortunately, Koool will be closed permanently from Monday.
Thank you for your positive feedback and trust, for us, quality and our guests were the priority. As it would have meant a decline in quality for Koool to continue in the current economic climate, it would have been unethical to you, the guests, so we decided to close.

The staff also thanks customers for sticking around and for the support and positive feedback they have provided.

Source: Facebook / Koool by Katinka

The brief history of the eatery

Koool restaurant, owned by the champion swimmer and her husband, opened its doors in June 2022 at 21 Szent István Boulevard, Budapest. The eatery’s concept was based on health-conscious nutrition. Katinka aimed to offer the flavours of the world for the price of a fast food menu. The meals were gluten-, dairy- and sugar-free, made with premium ingredients.

Source: Facebook / Koool by Katika

Source: Facebook / Koool by Katinka

The last hope

Even the last ray of hope is gone for saving the Hungarian Olympic champion’s beloved restaurant. Earlier this year, the owners were looking for a business partner, according to an older post on their social media site. Back then, she still had high hopes for her business: “We have further dreams of growth and sales, which we now want to achieve as a team. We are looking for an equally ambitious, creative and enthusiastic partner with whom we can achieve our goals together.”

As it seems, they could not find a partner who would save their business. However, the Hungarian Olympic champion’s restaurant is not the only one that had to close due to financial problems. Due to the current economic situation in Hungary, many businesses, including eateries, had to close their doors for good.

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