The city of Dortmund wants to change a gastronomy rule. © Ralf Rottmann/Imago
In Dortmund, a gastronomy rule is about to change completely. The city is relying on an old Corona exception.
Dortmund – The city of Dortmund wants to revolutionize local gastronomy – and is using a method that was primarily used during the corona pandemic. RUHR24 knows more.
Dortmund changes restaurant rules and resorts to Corona measures
It feels like the corona pandemic in Germany was half an eternity ago. The last Corona measures in North Rhine-Westphalia only ended almost a year ago – in April 2023. Gone are curfews, mask requirements and looted supermarket shelves. There were restrictions in almost every area of public life. This also applies to the catering industry, which was hit hard during the pandemic.
While the coronavirus was rampant, only outdoor dining was permitted at times – even during the cold season. Larger groups of people should not stay indoors for long periods of time to avoid infections. Now the city of Dortmund wants to resort to an old exception and allow outdoor dining even in winter.
Gastronomy revolution in Dortmund: Corona measure is being dug up again
Until now, innkeepers were only allowed to use a public area for tables and chairs in justified cases. That should change now. The city of Dortmund wants to allow the use of mobile wind protection elements, which were already used during the pandemic, also in the cold season. This was initially limited to the end of 2023 (more news from Dortmund on RUHR24).
With this step, the city hopes to strengthen Dortmund as an “urban nightlife location and give people the opportunity to spend more time outdoors,” according to a statement. Most recently, the city of Dortmund also decided that new parking regulations should come into force – for the benefit of Dortmund’s restaurants.
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However, there are a few conditions for restaurateurs that must be met. The outdoor restaurant should be designed to be open and barrier-free. The wind protection elements should be transparent or partially transparent and have a maximum height of 180 centimeters. In addition, platforms, carpets and other floor coverings are not permitted.
The Dortmund City Council wants to decide on the measure at its meeting in May.