Virus leaves more than half of German pubs and restaurants at risk
More than half of Germany’s pubs and restaurants are at risk of closure because of the coronavirus crisis, according to a new poll released on Tuesday.
A survey for the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga) found 59.6 per cent of pubs and restaurants fear they may be forced out of business.
Sales in the industry fell by 60.1 per cent in the first seven months of the year, largely as a result of lockdown, according to Dehoga.
Pubs and restaurants have been allowed to reopen since May in Germany, but face restrictions on how many customers they can serve in order to ensure social distancing.
Capacity has been reduced by 42 per cent by the new restrictions, according to Dehoga, and many businesses say they are struggling to turn a profit.
On average, those included in the survey said they nexpected a 51 per cent fall in sales for the whole of 2020.
“We usually have room for 110 diners, but we can only let in a maximum of 50,” Jan Bubinger, the owner of the Berlin’s famous Ständige Vertretung pub told Bild newspaper.
“How things will be in the winter when we have no outdoor seating, I can’t say.”
Dehoga called on the German government to make a temporary VAT reduction permanent and offer longer bridging loans to pubs and restaurants to prevent bankruptcies.
