At Christmas: Traditional bakery closes after 84 years - last pretzels must be reserved

Created: 12/26/2022, 2:42 p.m

By: Ulrike Osman

It's over, it's over: After the last opening day, the display in the Graf bakery was swept empty.

Owner Markus Graf does not yet know exactly what he will do in the future.

©Osman

Anyone who wanted to buy a pretzel in Moorenweis on Christmas Eve and had not pre-ordered it got nothing.

That's how big the rush was in the traditional Graf bakery.

It was the last day the shop was open.

Moorenweis – “Have you pre-ordered?” Bakery salesperson Bianca Fuchs keeps asking the customers who flock to the store this morning.

If the answer is no, she has to dismiss it regretfully.

"Then I can't sell you any pretzels, unfortunately." On this last day of the Moorenweiser Graf bakery, only those who have ordered in advance can stock up on pretzels and rolls.

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"It's a shame," says a customer who didn't know.

"The pretzels here were a hit." Okay, he'll take one of the few tin breads that are still available.

As a farewell, he leaves a tip for the sales team on the counter and wishes them all the best for the future.

A line has formed behind him.

And outside the door, more customers are waiting for the store to get a little empty.

Every minute someone joins them.

On Christmas Eve and the days before, there was a great rush for rolls and pretzels from the Graf bakery.

©Osman

Back in the bakery, Markus Graf and his parents are still very busy.

It is late in the morning, normally the work would have been done by this time.

But the three are baking more than usual these days because so many orders have been received.

Owner Graf estimates that he has produced a third more goods than usual. Customers buy dozens of pretzels to freeze stocks.

It's been like this all week.

At the beginning of November, Graf announced that he was closing the traditional bakery founded in 1938 and that Christmas Eve would be the last day of sales.

The main reason for the bakery task is the lack of staff.

There was no offspring for either sales or production.

Some of his six employees in sales had announced that they wanted to quit.

No replacement could be found for her either.

In addition, investments in new machines would have been pending.

And finally, like all businesses, the small bakery struggled with the sharp rise in energy costs.

The fact that Markus Graf's parents were still working, even though they were well past retirement age, was no longer a condition.

The two should finally be allowed to rest.

"My husband is 85 and has been on his feet since midnight," says Walburga Graf (79), as she dips the last of the pretzels into a jar of lye.

Anton Graf pushes the pastry into the oven on a long, narrow piece of wood.

Here the pretzels are baked on fireclay plates - they owe their particularly crisp consistency to them.

The recipe comes from the founder of the bakery, Markus Graf's grandfather.

"It's a strange feeling," says the 56-year-old as his last day of work draws to a close.

He has hardly had time to think in these weeks.

He doesn't yet know what he will do in the future.

"Now I'm going on vacation.

And then I'll see."

You can find more current news from the district of Fürstenfeldbruck at Merkur.de/Fürstenfeldbruck.