Wednesday, March 03, 2021
An interview with Steffen Henssler
"You can't put that many patio heaters up"
If the number of infections is low, restaurants may soon be able to reopen their outdoor areas. The Hamburg TV chef Steffen Hennsler thinks this is unrealistic. This is attractive for guests, but not for restaurateurs.
The gastronomy is suffering from the lockdown that lasted for weeks. The federal and state governments are holding out the prospect of further corona easing – but nothing will change for most restaurants in the foreseeable future. Celebrity chef Steffen Henssler thinks this is problematic. "You have to think about opening up," he tells ntv. Before the lockdown, gastronomy was not an infection driver. "If you start the way you left off – with intervals, with masks – you can dare a little more."
At the moment it looks like the restaurants are only allowed to open gradually – first outside and later inside. As a prerequisite for the first step, it is currently under discussion that there is a stable 7-day incidence of less than 35 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants at the state or regional level. The federal and state governments do not want to discuss broad openings for the catering trade until March 24th.
"Just outside doesn't really make any sense for a restaurateur," says Henssler. Because although there is only a smaller number of places, the entire company has to be fully ramped up. "That is a huge cost apparatus," says Henssler. “It's cool for people that you can sit outside. But as a restaurateur, that's difficult.” In addition, it won't be particularly warm in this country in the coming weeks. "You can't open up in the evening anyway," says Henssler. "You can't put that many patio heaters up."
Especially since many restaurants do not have a terrace. Instead of holding out the prospect of a gradual opening, politicians should better create a perspective and clearly define when restaurateurs are allowed to fully open their restaurant. "Drop by drop won't do anything. I'd rather say: It starts on April 1st. Then everyone will know where they are."
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