Gastro boom despite closure? This is how the restaurants in the region cope with the lockdown

Food to take away or to be delivered: The region's restaurateurs offer a wide range of options - despite the lockdown.

Many also have special menus on New Year's Eve.

District

- getting food instead of going out to eat: What was still new territory for guests and restaurateurs in the first lockdown has meanwhile worked well.

The list of to-go and home delivery offers that is published daily on the service page of the local newspaper has already reached an impressive length.

The variety ranges from ready-made roast pork with potato dumplings to steaks to finish cooking and a complete fondue set for New Year's Eve.

We asked around how satisfied the restaurateurs are with customer demand.

Fondue for the whole family

Manfred Papst, owner of the bistro of the same name in Holzkirchen, is so enthusiastic about his customers that he has come up with something special for New Year's Eve: a fondue package.

“People don't have to worry about anything except picking them up,” says the restaurateur.

The range of beef, pork, lamb or poultry meat - alternatively also with king prawns - is provided by Papst with homemade sauces, baguettes and vegetables.

Customers can also pick up portioned beef broth in the atrium.

The bistro accepts orders until this Wednesday.

“Amazingly, we have many solo orders for one person, especially for fondue,” says Pope with a smile.

“Presumably people don't sit alone in front of the pot, but order together at different locations.” That is a good thing, given his good business, Papst worries about other restaurateurs.

“In the first lockdown, we were among the few restaurants that delivered,” he says.

In the second lockdown, demand fell by around 20 percent because other restaurants followed suit.

"Overall, we're doing very well, all employees continue to be paid and we are not fighting for survival despite the reduced working hours." Café Krugalm is doing the same.

Platzerl plates as requested

They are called Krugalm-Bussel, Punschherzen or Ceylon-Stangerl: The hardworking Christmas bakers at Café Krugalm in Fischbachau put more than 20 types of cookies and of course the popular Stollen in the oven during Advent.

And although the specialties were only offered to take away due to the corona lockdown, the customers eagerly grabbed them.

Whether single-variety or on mixed plates: "They went really well," says senior partner Christine Fink.

Her daughter Michaela Storr has been running the popular excursion café since the beginning of June.

Son-in-law Tom Storr, who normally works as a cook at the Arabella Hotel am Spitzingsee, is currently also in the kitchen.

“The hotel is completely closed,” explains Fink.

The café's to-go menu, on the other hand, benefits from it.

Roast venison and goose breast were among the menu items over the Christmas period.

Of course, with matching starters and desserts.

The curfew from 9 p.m. has given the hosts an unusually quiet Christmas party.

“We really had time for the family.” It is currently always open on weekends and public holidays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On New Year's Eve and New Year's, the Krugalm is closed, explains Fink.

“Not much can be done during the day.” In the weather for excursions, however, there is a lot going on in the pick-up area, reports Fink.

"Everyone is happy about a cup of coffee - especially in winter."

Roast beef to finish cooking at home

If you want to enjoy the pick-up offer at the Terra restaurant in Holzkirchen, you need an oven.

Manuel Charaf El-Din and his team pre-grill roast beef in one piece, the customers then cook it to perfection at home.

"You will receive detailed instructions from us so that nothing can go wrong on the day of enjoyment," says the Terra homepage.

The minimum purchase is a gross weight of 500 grams or more, and the appropriate side dishes are included.

After the Christmas holidays, the restaurant team is now also heating the grill for New Year's Eve.

The process of pre-grilling and later finish cooking is a common practice in gastronomy, for example at larger receptions, explain the experts.

“Here the individual ingredients are prepared separately, cooled down quickly and cooked to the end at a precisely set temperature just before serving.

If you prefer to enjoy your roast beef on New Year's Eve or later after picking it up, you can do so without hesitation.

"The dishes can be kept refrigerated for at least two days without any loss of quality."

Four-course menu for connoisseurs

The salmon trout, scallops and veal cheeks that the Jennerwein restaurant in Gmund prepares for New Year's Eve are less durable, but portioned to a specific time anyway.

Franz Weber, brother of the gastro chef, says: “We also offer dishes to pick up outside of the holidays.” They were already there in the first lockdown - “and now it's going very well”.

Weber desperately hopes that the restaurant will reopen.

"Until then, however, we fortunately have many loyal regular customers that we can count on." The guests also took advantage of the offer at Christmas.

Hut kitchen from Wallberg

The Berggasthaus Wildbachhütte can currently count on the community of Rottach-Egern in addition to its regular customers.

Andreas Hiederer, who runs the business together with his brother Sebastian, explains: "Normally, all motorists have to pay three euros for the toll road to us." The municipality waives this fee for all customers of the inn.

“Not least because of this, things are going very well,” says Hiederer.

The first state aid has already arrived.

“And the collection of our hut dishes is also going well.” Hiederer offers, for example, Kasspatzn, goulash, schnitzel and other classics - even on New Year's Eve.

Meat from our own farm

Thanks to the family's own farm, the Stögers from the Schnapperwirt in Fischhausen have their hands full despite the recent lockdown.

After all, sheep and oxen want to continue to be cared for.

But the inn's kitchen doesn't stay cold either.

The meat produced on the company's own farm is also very popular in the take-away business, says senior partner Andreas Stöger.

“We are very satisfied and thankful that so many locals accept our offer.” In addition to ox, duck and goose, the game from Fischhausen's hunter Andreas Leitner is a real hit on the Schnapperwirt's to-go menu.

The host family takes orders from Wednesday to Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.

Stöger reports that a particularly large number were received on the Christmas holidays.

“Whole family associations have come.” The Schnapperwirt is closed on New Year's Eve.

“People cook at home,” says Stöger.

And the host family can celebrate in a small group.

sg / nap