Overview

• Metro CEO Steffen Greubel cautions that restaurants and the diversity of German city centers could “die out,” calling the VAT level an existential issue for many operators.
• Greubel says he has pushed hard for a 7% rate on on‑site meals and staged public actions with chef Nelson Müller to highlight the stakes for social life in city centers.
• BHGV president Angela Inselkammer warns the ‘Wirtshaus‑Sterben’ could accelerate without policy relief and urges the federal government to keep the planned reduction from 19% to 7%.
• A FOCUS online analysis of reader comments finds widespread frustration over price hikes and perceived quality decline, with some alleging past VAT relief was not passed on to customers.
• Commenters also cite structural pressures including higher labor, energy and rent costs, staffing shortages and shifting habits that favor delivery and fewer dine‑out occasions.