Overview
- Tourism Minister Wolfgang Blank criticized a €24.40 schnitzel in Binz as too expensive and warned of potential harm to the Baltic Sea destination’s image.
- Chefs and the Dehoga association pushed back, stressing that individual proprietors set prices based on their costs and business models.
- Dehoga reported hospitality costs have surged since 2022, with labor up 37.4% and energy, food and beverages up about 30%, alongside rising rents and insurance.
- Official data from the Federal Statistical Office show pork prices have climbed about 47.5% since September 2019, reinforcing higher input costs for schnitzel.
- Blank said comparisons with Japan are not valid given different conditions and he will meet restaurateurs after accepting invitations to discuss the issue locally.