Fight for survival: Gastronomy in the Merzig-Wadern district before the end!

In 2024, the catering trade in the Merzig-Wadern district had to overcome major challenges. Many gastronomic companies, including long -established local and restaurants, had to close. The long-term consequences of corona pandemic and the increase in VAT to 19 percent have heavily burdened the industry. The shortage of skilled workers and inflation also contribute to the current situation, while customers have become more reserved due to the difficult economic framework and falling budget budgets.

In addition, there are signs of possible reopening of gastronomic companies in some regions, which promises hope of stabilizing in the industry, as the Saarbrücker Zeitung reported.

shortage of skilled workers and rising prices in the industry

The shortage of skilled workers is not just a concern in Saarland. Mario Furlanello, innkeeper at the Bornheim Ratskeller in Frankfurt, had great difficulty in summer to find enough staff for kitchen and service. In order to master the situation, he himself had to help out in the service and simplify the menu. The personnel situation has now been a bit relaxed, but Furlanello is still looking for suitable specialists, including abroad. The elimination of the reduced VAT in the catering trade also led to higher prices, which meant that almost half of the Germans go less according to a survey.

In August 2023, the Federal Statistical Office recorded a real drop in sales in the hospitality industry by 1.3 percent compared to the previous month and 2.4 percent compared to the previous year. The price sensitivity of customers is high, which makes it difficult for the companies to pass on the increased costs to their guests. Services and foods are decisive drivers of inflation, which particularly affects the hospitality industry. Since the beginning of 2024, VAT in the catering trade has been again 19 percent after it had previously been reduced to 7 percent.

In addition, the sector is influenced by the emigration of experts during pandemic, with about a quarter of the social security contributions left to leave the industry in 2020. In August 2023, sales in the hospitality industry were around 13 percent below the 2019 level. However, since 2022 there has been an increase in social security employees in the hospitality industry, which has reached the 2019 level. Furlanello also faces challenges when it comes to hiring foreign chefs due to the lack of personnel at the immigration office in Frankfurt. Positive approaches, on the other hand, show up in Herdorf, where residents have founded a cooperative to maintain an old village pub and to support this through voluntary work, as can be read on the website of West-Ost-Medien