Alois Rainer strengthens gastronomy - new chapter for the WKÖ!

Alois Rainer strengthens gastronomy - new chapter for the WKÖ!

Strass im Zillertal, Österreich - On June 13, 2025, Alois Rainer was elected by a large majority as the new chairman of the Gastronomy Association in the Austria Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ). He succeeds Mario Pulker, who worked in this position over a decade and decisively shaped the association during the Corona pandemic. Among other things, Pulker has concluded a new framework collective agreement that is important for the industry.

Alois Rainer, born in 1976, can look back on a long history in the catering trade. He already leads the Gasthof Hotel Post in Strass in the Zillertal in the fourth generation and took over the parents' company at the age of 20. Rainer has been active in the Chamber of Commerce Organization for over 20 years and was a specialist group chairman gastronomy of the WK Tirol, as well as chairman of the WK Tirol division since 2022. Since 2023 he has also been deputy federal divisional chairman in the federal division tourism and leisure industry of the WKÖ.

deputy and future challenges

Rainer Klaus Josef Friedl and Wolfgang Binder are at the side, who were elected as deputies for the next five years. The specialist association represents around 56,000 catering businesses that make up more than 153,000 employees. Gastronomy contributes a significant part of the Austrian economy, with sales of around 11.8 billion euros, which underlines the significant importance of this industry.

Gastronomy in Austria is an important economic factor and has achieved a record of around 16.7 billion euros. It contributes around four percent to the entire economy. There are a total of around 31,300 restaurants in Austria, with the largest shares in restaurants, coffee houses and inns. The data show that almost 285,600 employees work in the entire hospitality industry with a high number of small companies.

A look at the industry

Despite the stable economic figures, there are challenges for the industry. The number of apprentices has dropped sharply in the past ten years. In 2023 there were only around 2,662 apprentices in gastronomy compared to over 4,400 in 2012. This could indicate an increasing problem to which the new chairman has to react.

The hospitality industry includes both accommodation industry and gastronomy. Vienna has most of the restaurants, followed by Lower Austria and Upper Austria. Traditionally, coffee houses in Vienna are not only places of food, but also cultural meeting points that have been part of the intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO since 2011.

With his new responsible positions, Alois Rainer is now required to represent the interests of gastronomy in Austria more and to develop future -oriented solutions for the various challenges. A lot will certainly be reported on his visions and strategies for the industry in the coming months.

For more information on the new management tip in the Gastronomy Association and the current developments in the industry, read the reports from OTS href = "https://www.gastroportal.at/gastronomieverband-obmann-neu-pulker/11586"> Gastroportal and Statista .