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Do people in Czech Republic have an appreciation or enthusiasm for "foreign" food, be it American, Mexican, Thai, Egyptian, etc. etc.?
I know there are a lot of foreign restaurants in Prague, but are they mostly serving tourists or do you support them too?
What about Brno? Everyone talks about Prague, but a good friend told me that she loved visiting Brno. Do you have many foreign restaurants in Brno?
Thanks!
Not really. to give you perspective, average salary in Brno is around 10k USD per year. There is not enough customers with $$$ to justify opening good exotic restaurants.
As an owner, where are you going to buy fresh goods for such cosine in Brno? Import from Vienna?
Ye, you have some vietnameese, chineese and even thai cousine there, but quality sucks big time.
Do people in Czech Republic have an appreciation or enthusiasm for "foreign" food, be it American, Mexican, Thai, Egyptian, etc. etc.?
I know there are a lot of foreign restaurants in Prague, but are they mostly serving tourists or do you support them too?
What about Brno? Everyone talks about Prague, but a good friend told me that she loved visiting Brno. Do you have many foreign restaurants in Brno?
Thanks!
Elcoyoteloco,
Brno is a nice city. The people in Brno are generally more relaxed, laid back and friendly. However, I'm not sure if Brno is a right place for opening a restaurant (Steak house, right?). If someone visits the Czech Republic, I'm pretty sure it's mostly Prague. You would get way more customers there than in Brno. Brno is not exactly a desired tourist spot like Prague is. It's on it's way up though. If you're not a big city person and prefer a small town life more, I think that Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne or Frantiskovy Lazne would be a great spots for opening a restaurant. They are on the very west side of the Czech Republic so you would get a lot of tourists coming from Germany. In the last two ones, you hear German more than Czech. Karlovy Vary on the other side, is very popular among Russian people. However, I still think that Prague would be the best place for starting a business by far. If you're going to open a business in Prague 1, your target have to be the tourists. You will also get some locals, but not that many. If you're going to open a restaurant in a location like Prague 5, it might be 50 / 50.
Czech people are enthusiastic for foreign food, unless you come with something like a Pakistani cuisine in a small town. That would take some time for people. The most popular, unfortunately, are fast food restaurants. Many people have the vision that this is the only type of food that the United States have. That is now improving since many steak houses are coming up all across the country. And as I told you before, they are super packed. Thai, Chinese and Japanese restaurants are very popular here. Not sure about Egyptian, never even heard of Egyptian cuisine.
Not really. to give you perspective, average salary in Brno is around 10k USD per year. There is not enough customers with $$$ to justify opening good exotic restaurants. As an owner, where are you going to buy fresh goods for such cosine in Brno? Import from Vienna?
Ye, you have some vietnameese, chineese and even thai cousine there, but quality sucks big time.
Why would he have to import fresh food from Vienna?
Good luck finding fresh ingredients for Mexican, Thai, Egyptian... cousines in Brno market.
I would add Cesky Krumlov to the list. I am sure it's way more visited than Frantiskovy or Marianske Lazne. Karlovy Vary could be decent, plenty of Russians there, they might dig US cousine.
Good luck finding fresh ingredients for Mexican, Thai, Egyptian... cousines in Brno market.
I would add Cesky Krumlov to the list. I am sure it's way more visited than Frantiskovy or Marianske Lazne. Karlovy Vary could be decent, plenty of Russians there, they might dig US cousine.
Thai and other Asian wouldn't be such a problem. I think you would have a problem finding Mexican ingredients in Vienna too. Not Egyptian though, since the Muslim population is higher there.
I guess Prague will be the most likely choice, although I'll try to stay away from the more touristy areas. I still want to visit Brno and the rest of CZ to get a sense of the whole country. (I'll be doing the same in Poland and Sweden, btw.)
As far as fresh ingredients are concerned, wherever I end up I'll want to work with the local farmers and artisans as much as possible. I'm more concerned about serving great quality ingredients than being 100% "authentic" in the ingredients, since that's almost impossible to define anyway. Things should work out okay as long as I can hook up with some enterprising, adventurous local suppliers.
@MJay: Egyptian food, like all Middle Eastern food I've tried, is fantastic. In fact, I've been experimenting with some of their spices on my brisket rubs, to good effect. Check it out when you get a chance!
@elnina: Could you elaborate about the "casual" thing? Thanks!
@elnina: Could you elaborate about the "casual" thing? Thanks!
In few words: a trip to restaurant is an event. People dress nicely, leave small kids at home, enjoy the food and ambiance.
Most restaurants have white tablecloth on the tables. There is no food on the floor and nobody ever will try to sweep between tables ( oh....!! ). Well, accidents happen but things like that are resolved very discreetly.
You will not see tank-less shirts, shorts, or caps (men). No one mess up tablecloth or let the food fall on the floor. People do not talk loud ( you hear just "humming noise" ). No one rush or rush you. You will not see small kids playing with the food, running around or screaming. Older kids know how to behave. Food in restaurants is not cheap, people do not go out everyday, but when they do... they really enjoy it, relax, and have quality time. You will not see the bill on the table until you ask for ( how many times I experienced: I am still eating and here comes the waiter and put the bill on the table )
People tend to sit and talk long after they finish their meal, they might sip on wine or have coffee - no one rush.
In many places table could be shared - especially in cafe's. Those are great places to meet others and make friends.
In Europe personal space is a different concept than in the States . People like to gather together, touch each other while talking...
Well... it is more than few words, but I hope you have a picture now
In few words: a trip to restaurant is an event. People dress nicely, leave small kids at home, enjoy the food and ambiance.
Most restaurants have white tablecloth on the tables. There is no food on the floor and nobody ever will try to sweep between tables ( oh....!! ). Well, accidents happen but things like that are resolved very discreetly.
You will not see tank-less shirts, shorts, or caps (men). No one mess up tablecloth or let the food fall on the floor. People do not talk loud ( you hear just "humming noise" ). No one rush or rush you. You will not see small kids playing with the food, running around or screaming. Older kids know how to behave. Food in restaurants is not cheap, people do not go out everyday, but when they do... they really enjoy it, relax, and have quality time. You will not see the bill on the table until you ask for ( how many times I experienced: I am still eating and here comes the waiter and put the bill on the table )
People tend to sit and talk long after they finish their meal, they might sip on wine or have coffee - no one rush.
In many places table could be shared - especially in cafe's. Those are great places to meet others and make friends.
In Europe personal space is a different concept than in the States . People like to gather together, touch each other while talking...
Well... it is more than few words, but I hope you have a picture now
Sounds wonderful We do tend to be a bit noisy here, I'll admit. Doesn't bother me much, but only because I'm used to it, lol.
The reason the waitstaff is a little pushy about the bill is two things: first, most Americans don't like to linger, we have a hard time relaxing like that, so we might get annoyed if we have to find the server to get the bill. Second, and more importantly, because servers typically only get paid half the minimum wage, which is next to nothing, the real money they make is in tips. So, if they only have three or four tables they'll need to "turn" them as much as possible, and even then most servers are barely above the poverty line - and of course have no healthcare.
Most Americans understand this, so we don't get offended if they drop the bill while we're still eating, and we're usually in a rush anyway. It's also why you generally get good service in most restaurants here, rude servers don't make any money so they don't last long.
It's just one of those cultural things that can seem weird (and maybe a little cut-throat) from the outside. I suspect I'll have a hard time relaxing like you described because I'll be worrying about the server, but I'll probably enjoy it after get used to it.
Anyway, what about the pubs or cafes in Prague, Brno, etc. where the locals gather to relax after work and on the weekends? How's the food usually in these places? Is it mostly traditional fare or do some places like to experiment with different foods? Some of my favorite meals have been eaten while sitting on a barstool.
Cheers!
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). Well, accidents happen but things like that are resolved very discreetly. 
)
