As of: March 8, 2024, 2:58 p.m
By: Carmen Mörwald
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Although the apple juice paragraph is one of the most important regulations in the restaurant law, very few people know about it.
That's what it's all about.
Munich - The increase to the original VAT rate of 19 percent in the catering industry means that fewer and fewer people can afford to go to a restaurant - and if they do, the prices are looked at closely.
Some people will have probably noticed that alcoholic drinks are more expensive than non-alcoholic drinks.
The so-called apple juice paragraph for restaurants is responsible for this.
Beer too expensive?
Apple juice paragraph is intended to protect against alcohol abuse
The apple juice paragraph is part of the German Restaurant Act (GastG) and has existed in this form since the end of 2001. The
Federal Ministry of Justice summarizes the regulation as follows:
If the serving of alcoholic drinks is permitted, non-alcoholic drinks must also be provided for consumption on site upon request.
Of these, at least one non-alcoholic drink is no more expensive to administer than the cheapest alcoholic drink.
The price comparison is also based on the extrapolated price for one liter of the drinks in question.
The licensing authority can allow exceptions for serving drinks from vending machines.
§ 6 Serving non-alcoholic drinks in the Restaurant Act
The regulation is intended to prevent alcoholic drinks from being consumed solely because of their lower price.
It is therefore a preventive measure against alcohol abuse.
Young people in particular should be protected in this way.
The apple juice paragraph is mainly controlled by the German public order office.
Depending on the severity of the violation, restaurateurs risk fines or other criminal consequences.
Curious name, important meaning: That's why it's called apple juice paragraph
Of course, restaurant operators could simply circumvent the regulation by, for example, including unusual drinks such as milk or tea in their menu.
But here too, the apple juice paragraph puts a stop to it: restaurants are obliged to offer an “attractive drink that is tailored to normal demand patterns”.
Apple juice is one such drink, which also explains the colloquial name of the paragraph.
Restaurateurs are also not allowed to offer unattractive quantities of a drink.
For example, if Cola is only available in liter bottles, it could be just as expensive as the cheapest alcoholic drink.
But very few guests want to order such a large quantity at once.
According to the legislator, this represents an “attempt to circumvent the situation and cannot be used to compare prices”.
Very few guests know the apple juice paragraph.
This is an important regulation that is mandatory for all restaurants (symbolic image).
© Robert Kalb / Imago
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The apple juice paragraph: There are similar regulations in other countries too
Similar regulations apply in neighboring countries: In Switzerland, the paragraph is part of the Hospitality Act.
This states that “a selection of non-alcoholic drinks” must not be more expensive than the “cheapest alcoholic drink”.
In Austria, after the regulation was introduced, it was observed that prices for mineral water increased.
That's why at least two cheaper non-alcoholic drinks must be offered.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at her own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.