From changing room to village café
The “DaHeimburger” is a volunteer-run café near Offenburg. Events that strengthen the village community take place every week in the beautifully restored timber-framed house from 1761. Everyone from kids to senior citizens, from long-time residents to newcomers, meet here for coffee and cake. Now, around a year and a half after opening, the café has become an integral part of the village. Glasses and crockery are being cleaned with a HOBART PROFI FX.
Currently, a total of 75 volunteers are keeping things running at the “DaHeimburger”. However, the idea for the project came from one person: Claudia Bürkle, first chairwoman of the DaHeimburger e.V. association. She initially wanted to open a village café all on her own, but other friends and helpers quickly became enthusiastic about the idea and joined in.
The association was founded in 2020, a suitable location was discovered, and the café finally opened in October 2022. The renovation work took a good six months and waiting for building approval prior to this was significantly longer. In many, many hours of work the team transformed a ground floor apartment that previously served as a changing room for the local fire brigade into a bright, inviting guest room with a bar and kitchen. The residents donated furniture, dishes and much more. Local companies provided building materials free of charge or worked for free, for example the electrician. The club still invested around 90,000 euros in renovating and equipping its café. The Ministry of Rural Affairs contributed a third of this sum as grant of the funding program “Together: Create”.
Smart technology with perfect wash results
Everything is in perfect order at “DaHeimburger”. The club members attach particular importance to cleanliness and hygiene. Claudia Bürkle has completed hygiene training and keeps an eye on everything in the café and kitchen. Every item has its place, every step of every preparation process is explained in instructions. With 75 people working here, there is no other way. When it comes to technical equipment, two machines are indispensable: the fully automatic machine that prepares coffee drinks at the push of a button, and the HOBART dishwasher, which has quickly become an essential part of the kitchen. Not only the perfect wash results and short wash cycles, but also the extremely easy operation and machine cleaning hit home for the “DaHeimburgers”. “Every day there are different people handling the dishwasher, but everyone can work with it,” says Annette Klumpp, who manages the club’s finances and serves the guests with great warmth. “Even intense dirt is removed in the first wash cycle, and we can clean glasses, plates and cutlery with one single detergent,” she explains. Finally, the team is looking closely into the operating costs. They find the low water consumption of the professional dishwasher important because wasting resources unnecessarily does not fit their concept.
Many helping hands
Numerous volunteers help to make the café a beautiful and cozy place in which you immediately feel at home. The fact that the “DaHeimburger” is so popular is not least due to the hosts, who have put a lot of time, money and passion into their project. Five people plus one team lead are working together during each shift. People who previously only knew each other by sight get to know each other better at work and often become fast friends. After all, making a difference brings people together. Nobody here has a gastronomy background, but thanks to precise instruction, everyone makes good coffee, prepares cold drinks, bakes fluffy waffles, assembles baguettes and whips up a big breakfast on Sundays. The almost 50 seats are fully booked months in advance. Because at “DaHeimburger” you not only feel comfortable, but the food also tastes good!
In addition to the Sunday breakfast and the Sunday café, there are various events on weeknights: parents' café, singing evenings, game nights or a literature club. New ideas and initiatives are always welcome, and the association is always happy to accept new volunteers.
