Cseri Miklós (szerk.): A Resti. Skanzen füzetek 5. (Szentendre, Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum, 2011)

The first liquor licence for cafés was given to the Railway Company Sopron-Németújhely in 184-6, prior to the operation of the railway on the 20th August 1847. The restaurant could sell only wine of Sopron and the right couldn't be ceded to others. After the opening of the first railway line Pest-Vác, following news appeared in the paper: "The railway company has submitted a request to the higher authorities for the authorization to build a formidable restaurant in Vác, near the station, where the passengers may revel', and find refuge from the rain. It is to believed that the board's request will be supported because it pays attention to the public, which - mainly on Sundays and holidays - flocks to this excursion in great numbers." After the foundation of the MÁV the railway restaurants went over into the proprietorship of the railway company and they were run under lease. Two conditions had to be fulfilled to take out a lease: the leaseholder had to have a stable financial standing and practice in the restaurant business as well as a licence. Soon the railway restaurants became important establishments in public catering in any town. Not only in villages, where the railway restaurant was the only restaurant, but even in towns with several functioning restaurants, inns and hotels. The railway restaurants were very special places: the guests consisted of passengers, beside local visitors, and therefore the most characteristic railway restaurants existed near railway junctions. The name of the leaseholder was often not to be separated from the name of the restaurant. Many of them had several years of practice in the railway restaurants of the Wagon Lits company before applying for the leasing of any railway restaurant. Such experience and good contacts helped them to meet with success. Good work's 22