Petrus means well with the pickers in the country: Around 20 degrees and bright sunshine – great weather is announced for the weekend! The telephones for table reservations are running hot. There is a rush to the sun terraces.
“We are fully booked up to and including Saturday,” says Iris Mösching (51). She and her husband Kurt (52) have had the terrace of their Sonne Scheunenberg restaurant in Wengi near Büren BE open again since yesterday, Wednesday. For now only at noon.
Drink consumption is essential
Last week the host couple was still unsure whether they should actually serve the outdoor area for 40 guests. Is it worth it? “That depends on how many drinks we can sell,” says Mösching. In the catering trade, money can be made primarily from the sale of beer, wine and water.
The biggest thirst maker is the weather. The forecasts for the weekend are good. And customers look forward to the French cuisine of the Sonne Scheunenberg restaurant: every table is reserved.
Planning is still difficult
Is that the same for all restaurants in Switzerland? “We cannot estimate whether there will be a rush of reservations for the weekend,” writes Gastrosuisse when asked by Blick.
For Iris and Kurt Mösching, in any case, being close to their customers pays off. During the lockdown, they informed over 200 people about their take away offer via Whatsapp chat. When the sun hosts announced that they would reopen their terraces, word got around like wildfire. “The reservations came in every minute,” says Mösching.
The only downer: the Federal Council announced that it would keep the restaurant interiors closed until the end of May. Iris Mösching doesn’t understand: “Hoteliers are allowed to entertain guests and we have to hope for nice weather.” Planning is even more difficult, despite the reservation books being full for the time being.
If the sun is there, the guests are there
There is still some space in the Hafen restaurant in Romanshorn TG. “Half of the tables are reserved for Saturday lunchtime,” says Petra Berankova, head of service at the restaurant on Lake Constance. The tables by the water are particularly popular.
The Hafen restaurant reopened the terrace on Monday. The company has started well. When the sun is shining, the terrace is full at noon. Berankova is not surprised: “People appreciate having their coffee here again and not in their own four walls.”