Long story short
A man who couldn’t bring himself to slaughter a pig. A woman who conjured up vegan cordon bleu back in the ’90s. The path to becoming an international franchise pioneer, redefining fast food.
How it all began
Großmugl, a fine little place near Vienna, is where the Swing Kitchen story begins over 200 years ago. There, Charly’s great-great-great-great-grandfather founded the cozy country pub Schillinger. Many, many years later, the hearty classics of Austrian cuisine, such as schnitzel, roast pork and pastries, were still on the menu. Charly’s favourite dishes from his childhood.
Charly and the pig
After the premature death of his father, 19-year-old Charly took over the family legacy, already in its 7th generation. In addition to the pub, Charly was now also responsible for the family-owned pigs and their slaughter. The pub kitchen urgently needed more food, so Charly went to the barn. However, when he looked into the pig’s eyes, he could not bring himself to go through with it.
The logical consequence
Virtually overnight, the family became vegetarians and the pub became a bar-only establishment.
“If we can’t slaughter the pigs ourselves, we can’t take them to the slaughterhouse or buy meat from animals that other people have slaughtered,” he told his mother. “That would be illogical.”
Charly conquers the financial world
While running the pub, Charly began to pursue his affinity for numbers and started speculating on the stock market – in Vienna, Frankfurt and even New York.
Animal ethical, as he called it, he invested in shares & co. of companies that avoided animal suffering. As a successful trader, Charly came back to Austria and met the love of his life, Irene.
Charly & Irene:
Love at first sight?
In the ’90s, Charly supported a protest action held by the animal charity Four Paws at a Viennese fashion show. The demo was a complete success. However, when Charly saw, the to him still unknown, Irene being escorted away by the police, he did not hesitate to intervene. He used his striking resemblance to a bodyguard of the then chancellor Franz Vranitzky and, with his brisk demeanor, convinced the executive to let the demonstrators go.
It was love at first fight.
Missing meat
Irene, a vegetarian since the age of 12, immediately recognised Charly’s dilemma: he no longer wanted to consume animal products, but missed the hearty classics of his childhood.
As we all know, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach – and this is how the talented chef created her first vegan cordon bleu, a speciality still held in high esteem today. Cooking meals for friends, Irene continued to refine her recipes.
Vegan cuisine without sacrifice
When his mother fell seriously ill in 1998, the time had come for Charly to return home. With him, he took Irene and her cooking skills. And so it came to the premiere of an initially small vegan menu at Gasthaus Schillinger. Vegan home cooking was later joined by international dishes such as hamburgers, chicken nuggets, cheesecake and tiramisu.
Pioneers of vegan gastronomy
Charly & Irene quickly became pioneers of vegan gastronomy in Austria. But it didn’t stop with the successful family pub. They had a big dream: vegan, delicious and environmentally friendly food for everyone, not just for vegans!
It was the birth of the vegan, urban fast food joint with a ’60s New York look:
“Schillinger’s SWING KITCHEN” in Vienna.
Vienna – Berlin – the world
Meanwhile, the juicy burgers, crispy nuggets and tempting desserts delight not only the Viennese. And not only vegans (most of our guests eat meat).
Fast food lovers in Graz, Innsbruck, Munich, Berlin & Bern are also already enjoying the “first vegan burger chain in the world”. More restaurants are planned in Germany, Europe and around the world.
The secret of their success?
The vision of making 100% vegan food popular all over the world through Swing Kitchen, and thus demonstrably contributing to the preservation of our planet and the prevention of animal suffering, drives Charly & Irene day after day. But without you celebrating the pleasure of sustainable food with every bite, none of this would be possible.
Thank you. Thank you for joining us in making the world a BIT(E) better every day.
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