In all likelihood, Peter Reichert will remain host despite a scuffle with a security man and allegations of poor hygiene. This becomes apparent before the crucial meeting of the economic committee in the city council on Tuesday. The district administration department (KVR) currently certifies that Reichert has the general reliability as a restaurateur required for the Wiesn approval. If the administration suggested Reichert, like the other well-known hosts of the tents, for the Oktoberfest 2023, they would follow, said representatives of the coalition of Greens and SPD.
For Reichert, as well as for his colleagues, there could be some innovations at the Wiesn this year. According to information from the SZ, the city council should also decide on Tuesday that the final day on October 3rd will remain largely free of reservations. The hosts should only be allowed to award boxes and galleries. On October 2, the city is planning a day of action for children and senior citizens. What that will look like exactly is not yet clear. The opening hours of the Oktoberfest should also change. In the morning, the Wiesn could start an hour later, at ten o’clock instead of nine as before. The Oide Wiesn should go longer in the evenings, like the rest it only has to close at 11:30 p.m.
There should also be some innovations in the Oktoberfest lanes. This year, access from the Theresienwiese underground station should only be via paved paths and not across green spaces. A new beer bar is to come under the Bavaria, laid out round like others and without seats. Three rides are there for the first time, according to the name at least two are said to be pretty “crazy”, and also an additional Ferris wheel. According to reports, the so-called nostalgic Russian wheel, which should also be known to long-time visitors to the Auer Dult, is to return. A prominent champagne stand is said to have been replaced by another stand-up bar.
For the restaurateur Reichert, on the other hand, after a difficult premiere last year, there will probably be a second chance to establish himself as the host of one of the 14 large tents. He had taken over the new Bräurosl with more than 8000 seats for the Oktoberfest 2022, but was quickly criticized. Visitors complained that the music didn’t have enough of a party atmosphere. The food inspectors of the KVR encountered hygiene deficiencies and, last but not least, Reichert got into a real fight with one of his security guards. So things didn’t look good for the landlord, who also runs the Donisl on Marienplatz, for a long time.
Before the city council’s decision, Reichert tried to clear up his problems. The proceedings after the brawl were dropped for a fee. At the end of April, he presented a new hygiene concept developed by experts for the Donisl and the Bräurosl. On that occasion, he publicly apologized for his misconduct and denied prosecutors’ allegations that he had used spoiled food. He appealed against the corresponding penal order of the Munich District Court. This could have affected his reliability as an innkeeper, but it is not legally binding. Until the end of the proceedings, Reichert, like every citizen, is presumed innocent.
The reliability as a restaurateur had been checked again and was up-to-date, said a spokeswoman for the KVR. Should the Paulaner brewery, to which Hacker-Pschorr and his Bräurosl belong, suggest Reichert as expected, there is no legal reason against it. If the administration also supports the selection, they will “join it,” said Wiesn city councilor Anja Berger from the Greens. SPD faction leader Anne Hübner also stated that the sophisticated administrative procedure would not be interfered with.