Dusseldorf Confusing access regulations in various federal states, mask requirements for employees, curfews or closures – the restaurateurs in Germany have been shaken by the pandemic. The ratings now published by the inspectors of the French restaurant guide Michelin are all the more surprising. 327 restaurants in Germany have received at least one of the stars that are still coveted by chefs, more than ever before.
Despite a downgrading of the Vendome in Bergisch Gladbach, there was reason for a total of nine restaurants to be happy about the third star. The joy in Piesport in the Schanz restaurant will have been particularly great. The chef of the same name, Thomas Schanz, received the highest rating for the first time. The other companies were again awarded the highest possible rating.
It is surprising that not only the existing restaurants were able to increase their quality, but also that the number of restaurants with one star has increased by 31 addresses to 272 now. “There are both existing restaurants that have been able to increase their quality and new businesses,” says Ralf Flinkenflügel, editor-in-chief of the German edition of the Michelin Guide.
Of the eight new restaurants with two stars, two are listed in the guide for the first time. “We were surprised by the many emails from restaurateurs who wrote to us that they had reopened,” says Flinkenflügel.
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This is amazing news, because in 2021, gastronomy in Germany was massively affected for the second year in a row due to the corona regulations. In 2020, the decline in sales in food-oriented gastronomy fell by 34 percent compared to 2019, and the level remained similarly low in 2021. According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were 23,145 new business start-ups in the catering trade in 2021, while the number of business closures was 25,646.
The star restaurants in Germany
3 stars:
Schanz in Piesport
2 stars:
Essence in Grassau; 100/200 Kitchen in Hamburg;; studio in Munich (after reopening under a new chef); tantris in Munich (after reopening under a new chef); Tohru in the writing room in Munich; Etc in Nuremberg; Louis Restaurant in Saarlouis; food mastery in Stuttgart.
1 star:
Old love in Augsburg; Malte’s Hidden Kitchen in Baden-Baden; bricole in Berlin; Ox in Darmstadt; Black Rooster in Deidesheim; The Stage in Dortmund; Hummel’s Gourmetstube in Duggendorf; Mod by Sven Nothel in Duisburg; Phoenix In Dusseldorf; Troyka in Erkelenz; The Grace in Flensburg; Main Tower Restaurant & Lounge in Frankfurt am Main; Masa Japanese Cuisine in Frankfurt am Main; Michael’s Leitenberg in Frasdorf; food mountain in Halle (Saale); jelly fish in Hamburg; Zeik in Hamburg; craft in Hannover; vote in Hannover; Tawa Yama Fine in Karlsruhe; Loersfeld Castle in Kerpen; Gotthardt’s in Koblenz; Mountain Hub Gourmet in Munich; Tantric DNA in Munich; Werneckhof Sigi Schelling in Munich; Veles in Nuremberg; Frederick in Osnabrueck; Mill in Schluchsee; Ritzi Gourmet in Stuttgart; Old Crossing in Werder (Havel); Shiraz in Wuppertal.
The number of employees in the hospitality industry has also fallen. While the number of employees subject to social security contributions was 1.1 million in 2019, it fell to 980,000 in 2021. A similar picture emerges for part-time employees in the hospitality industry.
Alone, those who wanted to eat in the upscale gastronomy in the past few months were surprisingly often rejected when making a reservation. “The guests had a huge need to catch up,” says Flinkenflügel. Good times for new founders, especially since they plan their restaurants differently. “The number of well-trained chefs in excellent gastronomy is increasing every year,” says Flinkenflügel. Many young chefs rely on small teams, which can also compensate for the shortage of skilled workers if the chef at the pass not only inspects the dishes, but also serves them to the guests himself with extensive explanations.
Guide Michelin awards new 3 stars on the Moselle
With the increasing number of young restaurants, an independent handling of ingredients is becoming more and more apparent. Vegan and vegetarian dishes are no longer the exception in high-quality menu restaurants, and influences from different cuisines are a matter of course. “And the German chefs are technically very good,” says Flinkenflügel.
This certainly applies to the youngest addition to the circle of 3-star chefs, Thomas Schanz in the restaurant of the same name in tranquil Piesport on the Moselle. But it also applies to Benjamin Chmura, who worked in France for many years. In 2021, the native Canadian with a German mother, who grew up in Brussels, started as head chef in the reopening of the legendary Tantris restaurant in Munich, which was followed with a great deal of attention.
After the refurbishment and renovation of the listed building, Chmura is responsible for the kitchen, which once made Eckart Witzigmann, Heinz Winkler and Hans Haas famous. Chmura’s contemporary French cuisine was instantly awarded two Michelin stars. The “Maison Tantris”, which now consists of a French restaurant, bar and the DNA restaurant, even has three stars in total, because the head chef at the DNA, Virginie Protat, was also awarded a Micheli star for her dishes. The company also received the “New Opening of the Year” award.
Only a few restaurants had to be devalued, some of the stars were lost due to business closures. Probably the most spectacular decision concerns the Vendome restaurant in the Grand Hotel Bensberg in Bergisch Gladbach. Joachim Wissler has lost his third star after many years and is now included in the list of 46 restaurants with two stars.
When the chefs and restaurateurs celebrate their award on the day of the award, joy should prevail despite the losses. In the meantime, she has also found her own answers as to how she is tackling the blatant shortage of staff: Many restaurants serve less choice and often only one menu with vegetarian alternatives, open only in the evening and only on four days. Quite a problem for the Michelin Guide testers. “In some restaurants, it took a few weeks before the inspector could reserve a table,” says Flinkenflügel.
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