From hockey stick to Neapolis pizza: Martin Zajíček's Prague empire

Martin Zajíček could do stand-up comedy with the story of how a boy from Pelhřimov, with a broken hockey stick, came to Prague chasing a sporting dream — and ended up, instead, as co-owner of seven well-known Prague venues, including pizzeria Neapolis and bistro Šodó. But he gave up hockey, and never did become a stand-up comedian — instead he went into the food business, took a few hard knocks along the way, but never gave up.

Zajíček's path into the restaurant business wasn't smooth. His first project was harshly criticised — and he was “schooled” — by Tomáš Čupr himself, the well-known Czech entrepreneur behind projects like Rohlik.cz and Dáme jídlo. That harsh lesson didn't break Zajíček; instead it made him rethink his approach, and ultimately led to success.

Paradoxically, the coronavirus pandemic helped him too — an event that spelled disaster for most restaurateurs but gave his business an unexpected push forward.

Today he runs seven recognisable Prague venues, and together with his partners he's already preparing to open new ones. Martin Zajíček's story is an example of how persistence and a willingness to learn from mistakes can turn failures into a stable, growing business.