TV chef
Björn Freitag fears deterioration in the catering industry
The chef Björn Freitag is worried about the catering industry. photo
© Henning Kaiser/dpa
The VAT on food, which will rise at the beginning of 2024, is causing strong criticism in the catering industry. Björn Freitag also sees many companies at risk.
“I would have liked to have kept the VAT at the low rate for at least another year, because I now see an acute threat to many companies,” Friday told the German Press Agency. “The gastronomic offering could of course also suffer if businesses no longer use high-quality seasonal and regional products because it is too expensive for them,” he added.
Gastronomy in Germany has actually been on the right track for several decades, and starred restaurants in particular have a high level of acceptance – even among younger people. “It would be a great shame if we ruined this again in the next few years through rising prices,” explained Freitag. He doesn’t think it’s possible at the moment to “pass on the price increase 1:1 to the guest.” Freitag reported on a clear reluctance and a decline in guests in the catering industry, which he and many of his colleagues had noticed for about a year “due to the new trouble spots”.
In any case, the shortage of employees has been troubling the industry for years. “If the shortage continues over the next few years, I see our craft as fundamentally at risk and more and more restaurateurs will turn to convenience products.” The employees would and should be paid better. “In addition, energy and goods costs have risen, so that high-level catering is hardly worthwhile anymore,” explained the entrepreneur.
He has reduced the opening days of his restaurant in Dorsten. “The restriction that we as a company are already making is the four-day week, which we introduced about three months ago,” said Freitag and added: “We had to take this step in order to motivate the existing employees, since we “We noticed a clear reticence from guests on normal weekdays.”
Bavaria recently failed in the Federal Council’s attempt to permanently maintain the lower VAT in the catering industry, which is due to expire at the end of the year. A corresponding motion for a resolution, which wanted to extend the lower tax rate of 7 percent for food to drinks, did not find a majority in the state chamber on Friday. During the pandemic, the tax rate on food in restaurants was reduced to 7 percent. The return to the usual tax rate has been postponed several times. The traffic light coalition now insists that the tax rate rises again to 19 percent at the beginning of 2024.