Hardly anything symbolizes the difficult situation of the pandemic-stricken gastronomy as much as an empty tavern hall. In the Penzberg town hall restaurant “Koinschaufe”, the 650 seats inside have been empty for a month. “Unfortunately, the current situation has forced us to close temporarily,” the restaurant’s homepage has since written. Because hardly any guests came and all events were cancelled, the host couple Tamara Wirth and Adrian Auer closed before Christmas. “Only one or two tables were occupied in the evening,” says Auer. Under these circumstances, it was no longer economically justifiable to remain open.
This radical step puts the spotlight on the catering industry, which is often affected by high sales losses – and is not an isolated case in the region. The Benediktbeurer hotel and restaurant “Friedenseiche” recently announced on Facebook that it would also be closing on Friday. This is justified by the current pandemic situation and the concern for the health and safety of all employees and guests.
So it is hardly surprising that representatives of the Bavarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga Bayern) fear for their industry. The Dehoga chairwoman in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Monika Poschenrieder, speaks of a widespread 50 percent loss of sales since last November. Since then, the 2-G rule has applied to guests in Bavaria’s hotels and restaurants. This means that only those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered can enter.
“We can’t go on like this forever,” says the landlady of the “Walgerfranz” fish restaurant near the district town. She fears that some hosts could give up at some point. Because the industry is economically cost-intensive – from the workforce, regular investments to the rising supplier prices. “It shook up all of our structures,” explains Poschenrieder. Under these circumstances, there is a lack of motivation to continue with joy.
Monika Poschenrieder took over the Forellenhof Walgerfranz with its own fish farm from her father in 1986. She is also affected by the pandemic.
(Photo: Manfred Neubauer)
In any case, the constantly changing government regulations make work in the catering industry more difficult. The Free State of Bavaria is refraining from implementing the 2-G-Plus rule for pubs decided by the federal government. Anyone who has been vaccinated twice or has recovered would also have had to show a negative test that was updated on the day of the visit. Only those who are “boosted” could have saved themselves that. For the time being, the 2-G rule remains without the need for additional test evidence, which Dehoga officials and innkeepers welcome.
Nevertheless, the Koinschaufe host Auer had to struggle with the fact that many guests were very insecure even under these conditions. Presumably also for fear of getting infected, many stayed away, he says. He illustrates this with concise figures. Around the change from October to November 2021, he was able to serve around 350 guests – there are 850 seats in the Koinschaufe restaurant, 200 of them in the beer garden. “There was something going on in every room,” says Auer. With increasing incidences, a month later only one table per day was occupied.
Then between December 3rd and 4th all bars and restaurants in the Weilheim-Schongau district had to close completely anyway because the decisive incidence mark of 1000 was exceeded. Then he opened again up to and including December 18, says Auer. But more guests just didn’t come. “Everything collapsed.” All events such as Christmas parties have been cancelled. The same is true for him in January with workshops that companies had booked in the Penzberg location.
The Jägerwirt in Aufhofen near Egling also does good business with celebrations and events, at least normally. “We had another wedding in October, then nothing more,” says senior boss Inge Meyr. Only the “à la carte” business was reasonably satisfactory – thanks to the many regular guests. At the moment the Jägerwirt has been on company vacation since the New Year’s weekend anyway. On January 20th it should continue again, says Meyr. The owner family also uses the break for investments. So they are busy building an ox fattening stable and a farm shop, according to the senior boss.
With its large hall, the Jägerwirt Aufhofen offers a lot of space, especially for large wedding parties – only they are canceled due to the pandemic.
(Photo: Hartmut Pöstges)
Staying creative is also important for the Koinschaufe host couple after almost two years of the pandemic. In 2020, both set up a delivery service early on in the lockdown. They are currently building a mobile dispensing system that they want to use in their halls at future events. “You have to keep going,” says Auer. Because he and his wife managed carefully, they managed. When exactly he will open the catering business again is currently still open.
The uncertain situation is anything but easy for the 15 full-time and part-time employees of the “Koinschaufe”. Some would have changed industries, a few worked in the corona test center managed by his wife in the small hall, says Auer. There everyone can register online in advance for spit, antigen rapid or PCR tests seven days a week between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. He wants to offer his employees employment prospects until he opens his inn again.
The gourmet restaurant “Schwingshackl Esskultur” in Bad Tölz relies on a different gastronomic concept. It is the only one in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen that has a Michelin star. It only has 50 seats, so it relies on quality instead of mass in purely spatial terms – and this may give it an exceptional position in the region. “We’re almost always fully booked,” says Erich Schwingshackl, who runs the restaurant with his wife Katharina. Instead of large events, both tend to serve small table groups of no more than two, four or six people. Many guests were boosted. “I’m actually quite happy,” says Schwingshackl. That’s good to hear in times of a pandemic.
Katharina and Erich Schwingshackl have always relied on class instead of quantity with their gourmet restaurant – and are now holding their own during the pandemic.