Most
savvy business owners wouldn’t dream of opening an establishment in the middle
of a global pandemic. For Yasmine Georgi and David Altmayer, however, that‘s
exactly what they did, debuting the expat-friendly Hoff House in October.
For
one glorious month the downtown, three-floor bar and grill was alive with
(masked) revellers, only for the government’s strict lockdown measures to bring
the party to a grinding halt. “Six months later,” says Yas, “here we are,
about to open a terrace, and we have two new locations on the way!”
Yas
is a bright-eyed, quick-talking dynamo. She was born in the Central African
Republic to a Hungarian mother and Egyptian father. She studied in the UK and moved
to Budapest to do her Master’s degree, and practise her Hungarian.
Before she
knew it, she had helped to open a hostel, and started her own ticketing tourism
business, PartyBookers. Like many expats who call Budapest home, the city had
pulled her in. “Budapest is a black hole,” she adds with a laugh.
Her partner in crime, David Altmayer, is American-born, a graduate in international relations and IT/software who came to the Sziget festival once and “wanted to travel for a few months” after that. A few months became a few years, and just under a decade later, he’s sitting on the plush cushions of Hoff House’s chill room with a quiet smile on his face.
“We
met on Tinder,” Yas says when asked how the two came to be friends. “He had the
most ridiculous pictures – the last one was him completely naked wearing only a
sombrero!” In fact, the sombrero in question is sitting on the table next to
us, and David puts it on. “I just thought, this guy needs to be in my life,” Yas
says.
They met up for a couple of drinks, and then went their separate ways, only
to find themselves in the same bar later that night. A month or two later, after their friendship had developed,
David mentioned that he needed a job to keep his Residency Permit valid and
Yas offered him work with PartyBookers. From there, they were a team.
Around the time of the first lockdown, David began bemoaning the fact that it was nearly impossible to get good American-style hot wings in Budapest. He wanted to set up a ghost kitchen in some pre-existing location, and approached a bar in town. To his surprise, the owners of the building countered his offer, saying, “Would you like the whole bar, instead?”
He
ran the idea past Yas. “I thought, are you crazy?” she says. “Is this a good
investment right now? But it was always my pet dream to open a bar,” she
admits. Facing the shut borders, PartyBookers came to a grinding halt, and Hoff
House became her primary focus.
“We had such a great first month,” she says. “We
want to keep building up this community with events, workshops, etc. We’re
opening a terrace, and we’re going to have a specialty gin + tonic menu, and happy hour
from 5-8pm on weekdays.” They have also hired a cocktail specialist to join the team.
The duo have big plans for the future, including opening two more locations. “One will be a sort of quick service American restaurant with milkshakes and wings,” says Yas, “and the other will be a more traveller- and backpacker-oriented bar, located underneath a hostel".
David and Yas are optimistic about the future. Anyone who is willing to start a business in the middle of a pandemic, and keep it operating under strict lockdown measures, is not easily scared off by the uncertainty of tomorrow. “As long as we break even for now,” says Yas, “then it’s a win”.
It goes without saying that there will be a huge celebration when the coronavirus eventually ends, and Hoff House is already planning their end-of-lockdown party. Stay tuned to the bar's Facebook page and website for updates and details!
Hoff House
District VI. Nagymező utca 40
