'A beautiful, overshadowed cuisine': Červený Jelen CMO on making Czech food great again

As Červený Jelen celebrates its 5th anniversary, it stands as one of the most significant establishments in Prague's vibrant restaurant scene. Co-owned by former corporate managers who took a bold step into gastronomy, Jelen is much more than a restaurant today, it is a community hub, a symbol of modern Czech cuisine, and a venue that blends tradition with innovation.

We sat down with co-owner and Chief Marketing Officer Jiří Panuška reflects on the journey of building Jelen, the challenges faced, and his team's hopes for the future of Czech gastronomy.

Running a pub is both challenging and exciting. It’s one of the few places where production, sales, consumption and feedback happen all at once. Our key product isn’t just food or beer, it’s the customer experience.

We see a diverse mix of people every day, local people and tourists, managers and businessmen, sports stars and artists, billionaires and students, leaders and influencers. We're also using Jelen as a space for brainstorming, working, and launching philanthropic projects, turning it into a true community hub where gastronomy is the foundation, but something more meaningful happens.

This anniversary is deeply personal for me because it represents a journey of freedom and responsibility. My partners and I left our corporate careers about seven years ago to build something of our own. We started small, with a few pubs in Pilsen, and then had the chance to create Prague's largest pub, Červený Jelen. It’s been the biggest professional challenge of my life, but also incredibly rewarding.

Running a pub is entirely different from working in a corporation and this is why freedom and responsibility are so closely connected - you must be responsible to truly experience freedom. Every decision has a direct impact on the customer experience and our success. But this also gives us freedom - everything we do, we do for ourselves, our families, and, of course, our customers and community.

Leadership is a balance between vision, values, and management. First, you need to have a clear vision and set of values, which you then transmit to your team and customers. It’s crucial to combine leadership with good management. Processes and tools need to be in place, but employees need to feel like they're building something greater than just serving food and drinks.

Micromanaging doesn't work. Our employees are better at the technical aspects, they’re better cooks, waiters, and bartenders than I could ever be. I’d say they appreciate that we’re fully invested, we’re not rich owners lounging on yachts, we’re here almost every day trying to make things better.

Contributing to the good name of Czech gastronomy and giving back is central to our philosophy. We listen to our customers on social media and take into account their ideas on where we should focus our efforts and our money. We run several philanthropic programs, including "Goodwill Cooking," where celebrities cook with our chef, and the proceeds go to a charity of their choice.

Another initiative is "Gastrothon," an ultramarathon we organize from Pilsen to Prague to raise funds for charitable causes. We also support Czech culture. For instance, we are proud partners of the film Vlny, which touches on themes like freedom of speech. These projects are ways for us to give back to the community that has supported us, and they allow us to create something more meaningful than just a restaurant. 

The core vision hasn’t changed much. We wanted to create a space where people could come together and enjoy modern Czech cuisine and perfect beer. Czech cuisine is beautiful but often overshadowed by its communists and early post-communist low-quality history. We’ve worked hard to show both locals and tourists that Czech gastronomy can be innovative and exciting.

Our goal is to position Jelen as a "lighthouse" of modern Czech cuisine, a place that shows what’s possible when you blend tradition with contemporary culinary trends. You can come here for just a beer and a snack or have a rich dinner with your business partners. And because of our size - 700 seats and two gardens, we’re also a great venue for B2B events. 

Jelen has reached about 75-80 percent of its potential, but there's still room to grow. We’re planning to adjust our concept slightly, focusing more on modern Czech dishes. The ultimate goal is for Jelen to be the first choice for people in Prague, whether they’re locals, businessmen, or tourists. 

For the longest time, Czech gastronomy wasn't one of the main attractions for tourists. But now, around 10-15 percent of tourists mention gastronomy as a reason to visit Prague. We’re proud to be part of that shift. We’ve also been involved in initiatives like Bocuse d'Or, the biggest professional chef competition, which helps raise the standards of Czech cuisine.

Serving in the Army Reserve was originally a way to clear my mind after the stress of Covid, but it also taught me valuable lessons in leadership. You meet other, let's say, 50 people from all kinds of educational backgrounds, people who are specialists, managers, but also workmen, artists. In the end, you are one team, which can work together and achieve goals.

The training was physically and mentally challenging. You start as a private, no matter what your background is, and you learn to listen, follow, build discipline and work as a team. It’s this sense of teamwork and resilience that I try to bring back into my business life. Whether in the Army or at Jelen, success is all about collaboration, right leadership and management, and shared goals.