Gastro chairman clear:

“Times when the customer is king are over”

(Bild: krone.tv)

The times when people believed that they could go into a restaurant and the customer was king - meaning they could get away with anything - are long gone, explains Peter Dobcak, Chairman of the Gastronomy Section of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, in an interview with krone.tv. He pleads for businesses to stand up for their employees against unpleasant guests. Because: "It's harder to find employees than guests these days."

The caesura effect of the pandemic lasted a relatively short time. "In the beginning, there was still a lot of understanding, along the lines of 'we can do this together'," says Dobcak. Now, however, guests are becoming more impatient again and understanding is waning. At the same time, the general public is aware that there is a shortage of skilled workers.

Peter Dobcak

(Bild: krone.tv)

As Dobcak explains, it takes a lot of effort for companies to get employees. This also means improving working conditions and supporting and valuing employees. If you have unpleasant guests, you have to say stop: "The guest buys the service and not the person. I expect clear support from business owners towards their employees if a guest is being a jerk. Then the business owner or restaurant manager should have the conversation. If things don't work out, then you simply have to say goodbye to the guest. It's harder to find employees than guests these days."

"Youth has been deprived of perspective"
The shortage of skilled workers in itself is a "sad and interesting mixture" at the same time, explains Dobcak. There has been a fundamental change in the perception of work itself. "I understand that young people say that the general conditions are such that you can never afford to own property. So why should I work 100 hours a week? I'm reducing my demands and enjoying it now." Young people's prospects have been taken away and that is the responsibility of the politicians of the last ten years, said Dobcak, visibly angry. In the past, you could achieve something if you worked hard, but today the chances are very slim. We have to counteract this.

You can see how the industry is doing in Vienna and more information, for example on the new pub garden regulations, in the video above!