It’s getting tight for Peter Reichert, landlord of the traditional Donisl restaurant on Marienplatz and the Bräurosl marquee at the Oktoberfest. At the request of the public prosecutor’s office, the Munich district court issued a penalty order for violating the food law. According to the public prosecutor’s office, it is “a fine with a high double-digit daily rate”. Neither the public prosecutor’s office nor Reichert wanted to reveal how high. But that could be decisive for the question of whether Reichert can continue to host the Bräurosl. If it is 90 or more daily rates, Reichert is considered to have a criminal record. He would almost certainly lose his concession as an Oktoberfest innkeeper, and his position as innkeeper of the Donisl would also be in danger.
Wiesn boss and economics officer Clemens Baumgärtner (CSU), who had previously expressed severe criticism of Reichert, is still cautious this time: “Of course I leave the reliability check to the district administration department, which is also responsible for it.” However, it is difficult to explain to Wiesn visitors why someone who has attracted attention due to poor hygiene and a tent fight can stay. In fact, at the Wiesn 2022 there was also a video-documented scuffle between Reichert and a security man in his tent; however, the public prosecutor’s office had discontinued proceedings.
The district administration department, in turn, not only checks the reliability of the hosts, but also whether they comply with the food laws. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the municipal food inspectors had already identified hygiene deficiencies in the Donisl in February last year. That had not been known before, Baumgärtner also says: “That was new to me.” Another check in the Bräurosl marquee shortly after the start of the Wiesn also revealed defects after the cooling in a food storage room failed. The public prosecutor’s office then investigated, which ultimately led to the penal order. “The accused is accused here,” said spokeswoman Juliane Grotz, “of having intentionally placed food on the market in two cases that is unsuitable for human consumption.”
Peter Reichert could not be reached on Wednesday, but his partner and Donisl operations manager Franziska Kohlpaintner distributed a comprehensive written statement on his behalf. He admits that not everything went smoothly: “I made mistakes.” But he also says: “At no time were spoiled, bad or inferior food, meals and drinks processed or served to our guests, neither in the Bräurosl nor in the Donisl.” He was irritated that the public prosecutor’s office, contrary to their announcement, had not waited for a statement from his lawyer with exculpatory facts. In the meantime, he has turned on a renowned institute for food hygiene, which has developed a new hygiene concept for the tavern and marquee.
Reichert and Kohlpaintner did not want to say how high the fine is and how many daily rates it includes. But the operations manager said on the phone: “We will definitely appeal against the penalty order.” This means that there will be a main hearing before the Munich district court. Probably in a few months at the earliest. However, the city council wants to know in May whether Reichert appears reliable enough to run the Bräurosl again, when it decides on the approvals for the Wiesn this year.