A café in Prague is selling confections shaped like the coronavirus to boost sales.
The Black Madonna’s business has plummeted since the pandemic hit in March, according to Reuters, but the café has seen more than 100 sales a day since it first introduced the COVID-themed confection.
The cafe’s marketing manager, Vojtech Hermanek, told Reuters how the pandemic has impacted the store.
“The coronavirus crisis has meant a huge drop for us, in tens of percent, like for other gastro enterprises,” he said to Reuters. “But at the same time it was a chance to bring out the coronavirus cake which is a symbol…showing that not everything is lost.” (RELATED: Study: Over 100,000 Small Businesses Have Closed Forever As Result Of Coronavirus Pandemic)
(REUTERS/David W Cerny)
“I found a photo of the virus on the internet and I figured out in detail how to make the dessert – how to make the spikes, what the colour would be like, and I prepared it all,” she told Reuters.
The spikes are a combination of white chocolate and crumbled dried raspberries. The outer crust is made from a hardened chocolate shell and a dusting of cocoa butter spray.
(REUTERS/David W Cerny)
Decreased travel has left the café reeling. The Black Madonna is located in Prague’s historic center. Tourists frequently flock to the café to catch a glimpse of the building’s celebrated cubist design. The Czech Republic currently has one of the highest infection rates in Europe, according to Reuters.
Pistachio, raspberry puree and fresh raspberries fill the center of the dessert that is just smaller than a tennis ball.
(REUTERS/David W Cerny)
Budnik moved to Prague six years ago from the Ukraine. She is currently dreaming up the next COVID inspired dessert: a vaccination treat that tastes like lime and liquor. (RELATED: State Department Issues ‘Level 4: Do Not Travel’ Advisory)
“It will be lots of lime with a bit of alcohol,” she told Reuters.