In a video, well-known restaurateurs and hoteliers from all over Austria appeal to the government: “We have to open up now!”
Four days before Christmas, on December 20th, hotels and restaurants in Vienna should be allowed to reopen. For many local and hotel operators that comes too late. In a video under the hashtag “WirSindMehrAlsRelevant”, the most famous faces from the catering and hotel industries have come together and are demanding immediate openings from the government. “250,000 employees, 200,000 supplying farmers, 400,000 regional craft businesses depend on the local gastronomy. And we want to fulfill our function as the cement of a dividing society and enable safe social contacts,” says the initiative.
Fear of the collapse of the industry
Around 45 entrepreneurs speak out in the clip. Among others, Birgit and Heinz Reitbauer from Steirereck will be there. “We restaurateurs and hoteliers monitor and record every person who comes to us. Safety for our guests and employees is our top priority. With these high security and control standards, opening must be possible,” said the restaurant owner.
Gitti Strolz from the boutique hotel Schmelzhof in Lech (Tyrol) also comments on the current lockdown in the video. “Austrian restaurateurs are more than 40,000 employers. In all federal states, in every village, on mountains and in the most remote valleys, we give work to those who live there and want to stay there,” said the hotel operator.
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According to restaurateur Josef Floh, the mental well-being of a region depends particularly on the inns. “These are important meeting places for arguing, discussing and reconciling. We are more than relevant.” The winemaker Dorli Murh from Prellenkirchen (Lower Austria) sees it similarly. “40 million bottles of Austrian wine are drunk every year in the local gastronomy. 40,000 Austrian winemakers are therefore existentially dependent on the local gastronomy.”
All those affected agree on one point in particular: To ensure that there is no shortage of staff in the future, apprentices and employees need prospects for the future. With the video, the initiative wants to prevent the collapse of this industry.
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