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Radiant heaters are controversial in the catering industry
Photo: Daniel Karmann / dpa
The meteorologists have promised a few more days of summer extension, but autumn should soon become noticeable - and the operators of restaurants will face a major problem.
For many of them, business only flourished again in the summer because you could eat and drink outdoors even under Corona conditions.
In contrast, many potential guests still shy away from closed rooms.
The solution for restaurateurs could be radiant heaters that allow them to stay outdoors even at low temperatures.
This is the only way to get through the winter, says the German Hotel and Restaurant Association.
In the meantime, Minister of Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier has sided with gastronomy, and even the Green Anton Hofreiter believes that an exception is possible.
The debate plays off pandemic and climate protection against each other.
The patio heaters not only make the terrace cozy and warm, but also emit a lot of CO2: around 70 grams per hour per heated square meter, according to a study by the Federal Environment Agency.
Electrically operated emitters hardly come off better than those with propane gas.
In many municipalities, the patio heaters are therefore banned, but the rules sometimes differ from district to district.
The city of Lüdenscheid allowed the spotlights again last week, environmental groups are criticizing.
And despite Dehoga's demands, opinions also differ within the industry, as a visit to two Hamburg restaurateurs shows:
"The emissions are catastrophic"
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In the bistro at the Abaton cinema, there shouldn't be any environmentally harmful patio heaters
Photo: Jana Hemmersmeier / DER SPIEGEL
Catrin Klemp has been running the bistro at Hamburg's Abaton Cinema since 1999, together with her husband Eckhard Klemp.
I don't want to put up gas patio heaters.
The emission values are catastrophic, the consumption is catastrophic - this is not good for the environment.
I think you can first look for other solutions.
So far, people are still sitting outside, even when it's cold.
We've had evenings here at ten or eleven degrees and the terrace was full.
Many find it difficult to go into the restaurants.
The gastronomy suffered extremely from this.
If it is not possible to offer something outside in winter, then some restaurateurs will really get upset.
That is why I think it is basically good that politicians are thinking about how to keep jobs.
But I think the politicians could have thought about what we could do ecologically sound.
They had enough time in the past few months.
Now it's about survival and it would be wrong to continue banning the old radiant heaters.
But I think it would be good if more environmentally friendly models were subsidized.
There are alternatives such as infrared lamps.
Although they have slightly higher acquisition costs, they have a much lower consumption and are ultimately also more cost-effective.
The lamps start when someone comes near and then irradiate the person in a targeted manner.
The disadvantage is of course that you have to lay cables, but the lamps are much more environmentally friendly than an electric heater because they only give off heat at certain points.
We'll probably buy two infrared heaters and see if we can install them at some point.
"Far from Reality"
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The garden will also be important for the Brodersen restaurant in winter this year
Photo: Jana Hemmersmeier / DER SPIEGEL
Ralf Uhlworm runs the Brodersen restaurant in Hamburg-Rotherbaum. It has belonged to his family for eight years; a second location at the port was actually planned for this year.
“In the restaurant we have to keep a certain distance, which reduces the number of seats. If we had a few radiant heaters outside, that would help a lot. The seats on the terrace generate important sales during the day. We are lucky that we have one have a large garden, some of which are open all year round. And in the city center, parking spaces have been removed and outdoor areas of the restaurants have been expanded. If that hadn't happened, half of the shops would really be dead.
Many guests currently prefer to sit outside.
People are afraid to go to the restaurant.
It's just like that, no matter how high our hygiene requirements are.
In the beginning it was more like older people, but now it's younger too.
If you set up the patio heaters, you will also see that the catering industry tries to remain attractive to these people.
Otherwise we don't have many options.
It is ridiculous to try to bridge that with blankets.
If you sit in the garden and take a cozy blanket with you, that's nice.
But nobody takes a blanket and eats lunch or dinner.
This is nonsense, also for reasons of climate protection.
Those few patio heaters are certainly not going to have a major impact on our environment, after all, it's only for two or three months.
On the other hand, it is really important to secure jobs.
So many hotels and restaurants could close their doors.
A lot depends on it.
And anyone who makes such an uproar over a couple of patio heaters is living a long way from reality. "
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