Post-war period

Famous supplies of aid, mainly in the form of food and medicaments, from UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration) which organized aid for countries most affected by war went through Gdynia – port in the 40's. Deliveries were sent to Poland mostly by sea and were dispatched chiefly in the port in Gdynia, therefore residents of Gdynia were not surprised by herds of cattle or horses marked with the UNRRA logo in the centre of their city. 

Lean years of socialism were relatively kind to many residents of Gdynia who, being in contact with the world thanks to sailors and the commercial port, had easier access to "colonial" goods which were unavailable for many average Poles. A real paradise of "colonial", "overseas" delicacies were city market halls in Gdynia, although, the inaccessible goods were still more often purchased right from sailors.  Sailors, fishermen or those employed on foreign contracts in the so called 2^nd  currency zone could also make purchases on ships and at boarded posts in special shops of "Baltona – Zaopatrywanie Statków" -  a company established in 1946 with its seat in Gdynia. Of course, foreign currency and so called Bony /vouchers/ were the only currency acceptable in the shops.

Most of the scarce foodstuff imported at the time of the People's Republic of Poland /PRL/ went through the port in Gdynia. The port seated among others headquarters and storehouse of the Internal Trade Enterprise POSTI /Przedsiębiorstwo Handlu Wewnętrznego POSTI/ which also dealt others packing coffee and tea for "the Polish internal market".

After war some of the restaurants, such as  "Café Bałtyk" or "Europa" resumed their activity; and new objects such as "Lido" at Bulwar Szwedzki which advertised itself to be "A buffet for connoisseurs – Open air dancing events -  Select band", "Adria", "Cyganeria" or "Patria" came into being. In 1945 there were 82 eating places in Gdynia, however, when Minister Minc introduced the so called battle for trade which was aimed at eliminating " remains of rotten capitalist system which should be fought against ruthlessly" in 1950 only 33 of them survived. After the thaw in October '56 the situation improved a little bit and such places as "Polonia", "Złoty Róg", "Dietetyczna" and "Arkadia" owned by Gdynia Culinary Works /Gdyńskie Zakłady Gastronomiczne/ were opened.

Although restaurants in Gdynia, or rather "inns for the world of labour", were doing relatively well, still the commonly present in the country "waiter's" or "buffet attendant's" regime was present there. Obligatory, cheapest appetizer to accompany a jigger or a communication cannon like "we recommend sauerkraut dish since we have run out of pork chop" became an ever-present element of culinary offer of the time.

End of the 60's was also the twilight of the famous MS Batory which spent its last two years (from April 1969)  serving the city of Gdynia as a restaurant-hotel-museum and was moored at the Skwer Kosciuszki itself. Unfortunately, because of high maintenance costs, the ship was sold as scrap to a shipyard in Hong-Kong.