§ On the line · Plancha
Zsofi Bajor

Zsofi Bajor

I’m a Budapest-based hospitality innovator and food storyteller with a rare dual background: 15 years in television and media and a second career building real-world food concepts that change how people eat.

§ By Zsofi Bajor

The filings.

9 issues
inflation 4 min read

The Margherita stays cheap, the truffle pays for it

The Margherita stays cheap, the truffle pays for it

Second in a three-part series: operators in Romania, Hungary and Austria on how they set prices, defend margins, and read a guest who is spending less. This week: Budapest.

File · inflation Zsofi Bajor
VAT 5 min read

Cheaper vegetables, tone-deaf tomatoes, and when food festivals work for operators

Cheaper vegetables, tone-deaf tomatoes, and when food festivals work for operators

What the planned Hungarian VAT cut won't do, what the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture got wrong, and where post-event sales actually show up.

File · VAT Zsofi Bajor · Alexei Korolyov · Georgiana Ilie · Peter Erdelyi
AI 4 min read

The restaurants AI recommends, and why

The restaurants AI recommends, and why

We asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude where to eat in Budapest, Bucharest and Vienna, then asked them why. The answers show who is visible, who is missing, and why Google still sits underneath most AI restaurant discovery.

File · AI Peter Erdelyi · Zsofi Bajor · Georgiana Ilie · Alexei Korolyov · María Paula Ángel Benavides
Issue 6 min read

The case for running a lunch menu you don't profit from

The case for running a lunch menu you don't profit from

Three operators on how they structure midday service, who it brings in, and what it builds that dinner service can't.

Plancha Georgiana Ilie · Zsofi Bajor · Alexei Korolyov
plancha express 6 min read

How war hits your menu, the worst food influencer in Budapest and toilet signs from hell

How war hits your menu, the worst food influencer in Budapest and toilet signs from hell

Five items. Iran, influencers, toilet signs, a bakery opening, and Turkish food done right.

File · plancha express María Paula Ángel Benavides · Peter Erdelyi · Zsofi Bajor · Georgiana Ilie · Alexei Korolyov
waste 5 min read

In the business of wasting food

In the business of wasting food

Food waste is one of the least-tracked costs in hospitality. Here's what the numbers look like when you measure it.

File · waste Zsofi Bajor · Georgiana Ilie · Alexei Korolyov · María Paula Ángel Benavides · Peter Erdelyi
plancha express 4 min read

Bread wars, spy pizza, and why your coffee bill just went up

Bread wars, spy pizza, and why your coffee bill just went up

Plancha Express edition, five things worth your attention before the next service.

File · plancha express Peter Erdelyi · Georgiana Ilie · Alexei Korolyov · Zsofi Bajor