Sad end of the catering factory: Plauen's restaurants are in front of that!

Sad end of the catering factory: Plauen's restaurants are in front of that!

The situation around the "Gastrofabrik" in Plauen ensures plenty of conversation in the city. A few days ago, the bankruptcy of the popular restaurant group was announced, which has been in the best inner city location since its existence for culinary diversity. While many citizens look at the closures with regret, there are also voices of the malicious joy that the situation of the owner Manuel Bendig knows how to comment. As the Free press , the way of dealing with the handling between co-mit.

The bankruptcy was officially announced by Andreas Hiecke, the insolvency administrator, on Monday and is surprising for many. Before that, there were always hopes for a positive turn for the catering trade in the city, which have now burst. The situation is particularly tragic for the five restaurants, which were very popular not only among tourists, but also with the locals. The news about the payment difficulties of Bendig had become public shortly before Easter and fell into a time when the catering trade is already under enormous pressure.

The crisis in gastronomy

The case of the "gastrofabrik" is unfortunately not an isolated case. Year after year, numerous restaurants fight for survival. In 2023, every tenth company gave up in the catering trade. At least around 48,000 companies have had to lock their doors since 2020, and 6,100 bankruptcy applications were made. According to an analysis of Tagesschau , the number of closings last year was 14,000, which is higher than in the previous three years, but under the conditions before the corona pandemic.

Gastronomy has suffered enormously in recent years, not least due to the effects of pandemic and inflation, which rapidly skyrocketing the operating costs. In addition, since January 2024, the industry had to cope with a increase in VAT for dishes from 7 to 19 percent, which also exacerbates the situation. The Federal Government expects this tax increase to have extra income of 3.4 billion euros, but the question remains: How many companies can survive?

bitter reality

Ingrid Hartges, general manager of Dehoga, describes the current location as "bitter". In addition to the increased costs, there are also problems with the staff, which also contains many restaurateurs. Interestingly, 88 percent of the bankruptcies of small companies affected, often with only a few employees. For young companies that were founded less than five years ago, the situation looks particularly dark: almost half of these companies are already on the brink.

The year 2024 could be a sample for many restaurants, because experts predict an increase in bankruptcy cases to level before pandemic. In this way, more than 15,000 restaurants, restaurants and cafés are assessed across Germany as insolvency at risk of bankruptcy. A disturbing trend that can not only be felt in Plauen.

The future of the catering factory remains uncertain, and the fates of the employees are on the brink. The case is not only a sign of the difficulties that have to struggle with the catering trade, but also a passionate call to the political and social level to stand up for the concerns of this important industry. Because without a lively gastronomy, every city has lost a lot of its charm and quality of life.