Intuition can’t be learned

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/11.

– What does the Gundel Award mean to you?

Rudolf Semsei
founder-owner
Semsei Gastronomy

–The Gundel Award, which restaurateurs refer to as the “Kossuth Prize” of the trade, is a crowning achievement for me. I come from a family where we couldn’t afford going to restaurants when I was little. So when the best experts of the hospitality industry honoured me with the Gundel Award, it felt like I was in heaven.

– What was your first big breakthrough?

– In 2003, as the head of a successful catering company, I ventured into restaurant hospitality, but it was in 2008 that everything fell into place, after we had been asked to take over a restaurant in Buda: in Érem Street we opened our first restaurant under the name VakVarjú. Today our group consists of seven VakVarjú restaurants, three Dobay confectioneries, the Budapest Party Service catering company, three self-service restaurants and the recently opened Paprika House experience complex with three locations.

– Which one is closest to your heart?

– It is like someone asking me which of my children I love the most. Each concept is important to me for different reasons. Today VakVarjú isn’t just a restaurant chain, but a true gastronomic symbol: playful, lovable and laid back – just as I see hospitality itself.

– How do you build a brand?

– One of the most important ingredients of a successful business is intuition. You can learn many things, but you can’t learn intuition. I believe that only those who dare to let go of reality sometimes can be truly successful. At the same time, intuition alone isn’t enough: it is important to back up good ideas with research, data and feedback. Target group profiling, market research and business plans all help to build a solid foundation for creativity.