How Dimitri is taking the Berlin neighbourhood by storm with his restaurants Birkenhain and Paymash. Find out all about his journey from opening day to the Tsar’s Dinner.
Imagine walking into a restaurant and feeling not like an anonymous guest, but as if you were in a friend’s living room. Here, the samovar is steaming on the table, the food is honest, home-cooked fare without any frills, and everyone treats each other as equals. This is exactly the kind of place Dimitri – whom everyone affectionately calls Dima – has created with his Birkenhain.
How Birkenhain is taking the neighbourhood by storm with Paymash
Dima is the driving force behind it all. As the owner, he pulls all the strings, working in the kitchen himself, developing new concepts or doing the bookkeeping after closing time. In an environment where you feel like you have to juggle the stove, service and paperwork fifty times over at once, you need support that takes the pressure off. For Dima, that support is Paymash. In this blog post, we take you behind the scenes at Birkenhain. We’ll show you that the right software goes far beyond a mere IT solution. Ultimately, it’s the tool that frees up your mind for your true passion.
A home with several tables
Anyone listening to Dimitri can immediately sense his passion. The Birkenhain is no ordinary restaurant. It is a place of contrasts that harmonise beautifully. On the one hand, there is down-to-earth cuisine made with good ingredients and a lot of heart. On the other, there are exclusive events such as an 18th-century-style tsar’s dinner featuring caviar and fine tableware.
Anyone listening to Dimitri can immediately sense his passion. The Birkenhain is no ordinary restaurant. It is a place of contrasts that harmonise beautifully. On the one hand, there is down-to-earth cuisine made with good ingredients and a lot of heart. On the other, there are exclusive events such as an 18th-century-style tsar’s dinner featuring caviar and fine tableware.
Why Paymash became a security feature for Dima
The restaurant industry is a tough business, especially in the early stages. The legal requirements for bookkeeping and till management are strict. Anyone who makes mistakes here quickly risks jeopardising the success of their business.
Dima sums it up: Paymash was a lifesaver for him during the stressful start-up phase. As a restaurateur, you’re required to meet certain standards from day one. Paymash helped Dimitri implement these requirements quickly, easily and cost-effectively. This allowed him to focus entirely on his guests, rather than worrying about the cash register’s compliance.
The following points were particularly important to him:
Versatile payment options: Whether modern NFC payments or traditional magnetic stripe payments. Paymash combines all the key functions in a compact, mobile device. In a dynamic business like Birkenhain, where you’re constantly on the move, this portability is indispensable.
Transparent billing: A crucial factor for Dima was the pricing model. Many providers on the market charge a percentage of turnover. For Dima, that was not an option. Paymash stands out with a fair model that does not involve a share of turnover, which means predictable fixed costs, particularly for growing businesses.
Reliability through experience: Dimitri didn’t come to us by chance. His wife had already used Paymash successfully in her own business in Switzerland. This long-standing positive experience within his immediate family was the strongest argument in its favour.
Support that really thinks on its feet
A POS system is only as good as the service behind it. Dimitri describes a situation familiar to every restaurant owner: you’re under pressure, the queue of guests is getting longer, and suddenly a technical issue arises.
In moments like these, Paymash shines thanks to a support team that acts proactively and competently. Dima was impressed by how the team finds solutions without him, as a customer, having to invest valuable time. Whilst he takes care of service tasks and looks after the guests, Paymash resolves the issue in the background. He often emphasises that Paymash doesn’t feel like an anonymous tool. Rather, he feels he has found a partner he can rely on implicitly in the restaurant business.
From pelmeni eating contests to tsar-style dinners
Whether Dimitri is serving up down-to-earth classics or planning a high-end dinner, the software has to be up to the task. The simplicity of Paymash allows him to focus on what really matters: the creative development of his concept.
Thanks to its clear structure, he has full control over the bookkeeping and management of his business without wasting time on complex technology. This gives him the freedom he needs to make Birkenhain an integral part of the neighbourhood, with the support of his family.
Growing together rather than just managing
Dimitris’s journey shows that success in the hospitality industry depends not only on the quality of the food, but also on having the right partners behind the scenes. He has deliberately chosen not to use systems that undermine his own success through revenue-sharing schemes. Instead, he relies on a solution that supports him through fair terms and proactive support. For him, the till is not a necessary evil, but the foundation for taking his vision for Birkenhain a step further every day. It’s about using technology that thinks for itself, so that in the end there’s more time for what really matters: the guest.
Your success starts with the right foundation
Dimitri und sein Birkenhain zeigen eindrucksvoll, dass herzliche Tradition und moderne Systemgastronomie kein Widerspruch sind. Mit Paymash hat er ein Werkzeug gefunden, das ihm die Sicherheit gibt, sich voll und ganz auf seine Gäste und seine kulinarischen Visionen zu konzentrieren.
If you’re also looking for a POS system that adapts to your needs rather than the other way round, Paymash is well worth a look. After all, the bottom line is that the technology should support you, so you can focus on what really matters: your customers and your passion for your work.
