This is what the block empire looks like
Children of steakhouse heiress Christina Block are apparently kidnapped in Denmark. The patriarch Eugen Block has built up a gastronomy empire - which includes more than just restaurants.
The story of the Block empire began more than 50 years ago. In the 1960s, 25-year-old Eugen Block traveled from the provinces of Lower Saxony to the USA - and brought an idea to Germany that was as simple as it was successful: steakhouses with the rustic charm of log cabins.
In 1968, Block opened his first restaurant in Hamburg with wood-paneled walls and red and white checkered tablecloths. "It was immediately clear to me that we needed this type of cozy restaurant here in Germany too," he told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper in 2018. In the beginning, he cooked the steaks himself. "Back then, eating out was a luxury. But thanks to the Block House, people now went out to eat more often, not just on special occasions. This was my pioneering work."
His wife Christa stood by his side. "My husband raved about wooden tables, affordability and fast service," she said in the joint interview. "He definitely had a precise idea of everything."
Today, there are 55 of these restaurants in total, 44 of them in Germany and 11 in other European countries. According to the company, more than 1,200 people are employed in this area. On average, around 7440 steak menus are sold every day. Block House is the largest steak restaurant chain in Germany.
The steaks have come from the company's own butchery since 1973. In order to use the meat that could not be used for steaks, Block founded the Jim Block burger chain in the same year - the first store was also opened in Hamburg, around the same time that Burger King and McDonald's ventured across the Atlantic. There are currently twelve Jim Blocks in Hamburg, Berlin and Hanover. The entrepreneur also brought the idea for the burger stores with him from the USA.
Meticulous boss
The restaurants and burger stores are part of the Block Group, which consists of 18 companies in total. These also include the butcher's shop and a logistics center, a fish restaurant with a hotel near the Schalsee lake in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and a brewery at Hamburg's Landungsbrücken. The group sells Block House products such as steaks, burgers and sauces in retail outlets. The luxury Elysée Hotel in Hamburg, which opened in 1985, is also part of the empire.
In total, the Block Group employs almost 2,400 people. In 2020, the family business was in the red for the first time since it was founded due to the coronavirus pandemic. Losses were in the double-digit million range, with turnover at 308 million euros. More recent figures are not available.
Block is considered a meticulous boss who even took care of the holes in salt shakers. He once failed with a Hamburg airline. "I overestimated myself back then," Block admitted in an interview with Die Zeit.
Block, who is now 83, has not been active in the operational business for several years. He was married to his wife Christa until her death in September last year. Their children Dirk, Philipp and Christina have a stake in the Group and are members of the Advisory Board. According to "t-online", they do not take on any operational tasks in the Group. Their father relies on non-family managers. However, the three are to inherit the company in equal shares.
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The Block family's business has expanded beyond gastronomy, venturing into the hotel industry with the opening of the luxury Elysée Hotel in Hamburg in 1985. The company's offices, including documents and files, are meticulously organized in a Company - Folder, reflecting Eugen Block's attention to detail.
As the Block business expanded into various industries, such as butchery and brewing, the 'Family business' continued to thrive despite setbacks, like Eugen Block's failed venture with a Hamburg airline. After Eugen's retirement, the family members, Dirk, Philipp, and Christina, have a stake in the company and serve on the Advisory Board, ensuring the continuity of the 'Family business' in the future.
Source: www.ntv.de
