On March 5, 2020, the night restaurant had to close. It reopened exactly two years later. There is no sign of a major comeback: “There was a lack of prospects,” says Stefan Ratzenberger, president of the Association of Austrian Night Gastronomy. Every tenth restaurant had to close, “an entire generation of young people” and a quarter of the staff were missing. Pinnacle of frustration: COFAG, hovering over the industry like “the sword of Damocles”. moderator Conny Winiwarter asked.
The frustration coin surrounding the Federal Financing Agency Covid-19 (COFAG), through which aid payments are processed, has two sides: firstly, “some aid has still not been disbursed”. On the other hand, COFAG is now demanding rent arrears and rent payments. “Companies are being contacted to recover the rent from the landlord because it was not legal.” The landlords step aside. Partly justified, says Ratzenberger.
Understandable or not, the end result remains bad: restaurateurs again have liquidity problems. They already forced ten percent of clubs and bars to close last year. “We will have to say goodbye to many other facilities”, the chairman of the night restaurant sketches a gloomy picture of the future.
“Ghosted” by the Ministry
There are clear proposals for a solution for the night restaurant. There have also been talks with Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP). The ideas would be looked at, the ministry said at the time. But Ratzenberger was never heard from again. “All empty promises”, he is annoyed, “we are disappointed in the government.”
The guests have also changed: Ratzenberger: “We are missing a whole generation of young people.” People who turned 16 during the pandemic have found an “alternative party”, which is also cheaper, due to a lack of entertainment options. “It’s hard to get them into clubs now,” says Ratzenberger.
Lack of staff: Asylum seekers as a possible solution
In total, a quarter of the required staff is missing. A major problem is the lack of students who have previously worked in gastronomy. “We were the largest employer for students,” says Ratzenberger. Students with marginal jobs lost their part-time jobs during the pandemic – and never returned to gastronomy. The chairman sees the relief of the red-white-red card as an important lever, but Ratzenberger wants to do without robot support.
You can see the entire interview with Stefan Ratzenberger in the video above. KroneLIVE can be seen from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m.
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Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
