Restaurateurs in Dachau: Away with the 2G rule

Created: 02/13/2022, 20:21

The Fracasso family from the "Roma" has grown even closer (from left): Gianluca, Mina, Adina and Fabio;

not in the picture Augusto Fracasso.

© Simone Wester

The Dachau restaurateurs are happy about the lifting of the curfew.

But they would be even happier if politicians soon overturned the 2G rule.

Dachau – In 2020, people’s lives changed radically almost from one day to the next because of a virus.

Also in Dachau.

The Dachauer Nachrichten spoke to some restaurateurs at the time, among other things, about what the lockdown means for them personally.

Now, almost two years later, we asked them again.

One of the reasons for this was the abolition of the curfew last week.

The great euphoria due to the lifted curfew in Bavaria may not necessarily arise with Roma Schmuttermaier, for example.

"This is not a game changer now," says the managing director of "Rind & Rebe" in Dachau, although he is of course happy that the lifting of the curfew means that he no longer has to "throw out" guests, especially at the weekend.

After the curfew was abolished: Dachau's gastro scene calls for 2G to be abolished

The 32-year-old has completely closed his restaurant since mid-January – the workforce is on “corona vacation” due to corona cases and quarantine regulations.

It is not yet certain when he will open the "Rind & Rebe" again.

"We open when it makes sense and is fun," says the Dachau restaurateur.

For him, that means in concrete terms when the incidences go down and when politicians also rethink the 2G rule in the catering industry.

"We miss the unvaccinated and the partners of the vaccinated," complains Schmuttermaier.

He considers – with a wink, of course – whether he should “hire a hairdresser”, since only 3G is now required there.

By the way: everything from the region is also available in our regular Dachau newsletter.

The Fracasso family from the "Ristorante Roma" in Dachau also wants the end of the 2G rule.

"I find the tests even safer," says Adina Fracasso, who keeps the shop running together with her husband Augusto, their sons Fabio and Gianluca and daughter-in-law Mina.

And that made it through the two-year pandemic very well.

After sleepless nights and many tears at the beginning of the pandemic in spring 2020, several lockdowns and many ups and downs, the Fracassos and their team draw a positive balance.

"We have grown even closer together as a family and as a team and have become stronger," emphasizes Mina Fracasso.   

Thanks to the many loyal regulars who, during lockdown times, helped with pick-up orders to keep the business running and nobody had to be laid off, the "Roma" is now on solid ground.

“We didn't have to lay anyone off, on the contrary.

At the moment we are even looking for a pizza baker and a chef," says Adina Fracasso, who is happy to have put the "two tough years" behind her.

She is already looking forward to hopefully not having to ask anyone at the front door for proof of vaccination in a few weeks.

And no longer having to send anyone away who has forgotten their ID, even if they may have known this guest for years.

The Roma team strictly adheres to the guidelines.

The Fracasso family, which has been responsible for the "Ristorante Roma" for 45 years, is grateful not only for their loyal regular customers.

The state aid and the accommodation of health insurance companies and the tax office also contributed to the fact that the traditional restaurant came through the crisis unscathed.

Now the family hopes that the requirements will gradually be relaxed and that more guests will dare to go to the restaurant again.

The reservation book for the weekend may be full, but there are still a few regulars who are concerned about Omicron.

Thanks to the lifting of the curfew, at least the guests can now sit longer again.

Michail Kareklas, tenant of the Greek restaurant "Bakalikon" in the old town of Dachau, also has a good mood among the guests and a full dining room.

It was very different two years ago.

“The first lockdown was a shock,” Kareklas recalls.

At that time, eight of his 16 employees went back to Greece - voluntarily.

The restaurateur describes the second lockdown in particular, when he was not allowed to serve guests for months, as a “very difficult time”.

At that time, three more employees fired him, and in the end he was in the kitchen himself in order to be able to keep up the to-go business.

It was precisely the take-away business that saved the lives of the Kareklas family.

And of course the help of the federal government.

"Respect and thanks to the German state," enthuses the native Greek, who says that the help came very quickly back then.

Thanks to the loyalty of his guests, "everything is like it used to be".

Although he is happy about the curfew being lifted, things went extremely well with this as well.

All guests were "super" and very understanding.

He was also able to increase his team again.

But some former employees have turned their backs on gastronomy forever.

Simone Wester