Dreary Oktoberfest: beer?
Who is hungry?
Wiesn waiters have to recruit guests in front of the tent
Created: 09/28/2022, 21:54
By Phillip Plesch
Attracting guests: waiter Simon (middle) tries to lure visitors into the Bräurosl with signs.
© Achim Frank Schmidt
The Wiesn 2022 is rainy and cold - accordingly few people are sometimes out and about.
Some waiters get creative when catching guests.
Munich - The streets are empty, many stalls are still closed in the morning.
In other stands, the showmen bravely freeze to death.
The 187th Oktoberfest this week - at least at noon - gives a pretty dreary picture.
And also in front of the big tents: where crowds of people usually gather and fight for admission, there is hardly anything going on.
Instead, waitresses stand in front of the entrances – to catch guests.
Simon from the Bräurosl is particularly imaginative: Two Italian tourists lift up the cheerful waitress, he is holding two large trays in his hands, on which he has written: "Who's hungry?" And: "Beer?"
Simon says: "It happens from time to time that we have a few places free at our tables at midday during the week." Then someone from the team goes out, creates a bit of excitement and fishes the missing guests to the tables – "A lot of fun and it always works."
Ochsenbraterei waiter: 30 percent less income than usual
Also looking for guests on Wednesday was Tobi from the Ochsenbraterei, who is already working at the Oktoberfest in Munich for the fifth time.
It's normal for people to fish for guests in front of the tents at midday during the week, he says.
However, he had never experienced it as extreme as this year.
"Even in front of the other tents, you keep seeing waitresses trying to catch people right away." If they didn't do that, it could be that some of the tables stayed empty, he says.
There are still a few days left at Oktoberfest, but he still estimates that he will probably earn around thirty percent less than usual (everything about Oktoberfest reservations).
It is different with Josef from the Marstall marquee.
It's already his twelfth year as a waitress at the Wiesn.
He says about the ongoing Wiesn: "It's very good." Because of the weather, there is less activity during the day, but there is no problem.
His merit is comparable to the previous festivals.
So he doesn't have to go catching guests.
pp, leo
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