The popular Viennese inner city restaurant Figlmüller reported to the eXXpress about 30 cancellations within a few hours a month. The well-known downtown eatery – popular with locals and tourists alike, not least because of its peculiar schnitzel – gets to feel the 2G rule on the very first day of its validity. But this is no exception.
The management of the Waldviertlerhof in Vienna-Margareten also reports numerous rejections. The restaurant is also well known for its traditional Viennese cuisine, and especially for the Martinigansl. The Waldviertlerhof can look forward to numerous regular customers every day. But not all of them are vaccinated either. With a 2G rule, they stay away.
WKÖ gastro chairman Mario Pulker reports massive negative effects on the entire industry: “We expect sales losses of between 40 and 60 percent,” he tells eXXpress. Large events – especially birthday parties or weddings – are already being canceled in large numbers. And the meetings at the regulars’ table are now being moved to home.
But that’s not all: the losses in the gastronomy scene are also affecting numerous retailers. Those who have to do without cafés and other things also hold back when shopping. This is particularly painful for many entrepreneurs right now. For many, November and December are the months with the highest sales. The high income in the Christmas season helps you to build up reserves for the less profitable times. No matter how well business is going: rents, salaries, taxes and other costs are always incurred, regardless of the respective month.
Pulker is therefore making demands on politics. Compensation is needed so that the economy does not have to suffer such high losses for which it is not responsible. In the case of gastronomy, the lower VAT on beverages must also be maintained. Basically, however, you do not oppose the 2G rule, says the gastro chairman.
