Staff shortage

Lights go out forever in traditional inn

The Märzenkeller in St. Florian near Linz will close as an inn, but the guest rooms will remain.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

The Märzenkeller in Sankt Florian near Linz has been serving food and drink since the 19th century, but in just over a month it will only be sleeping. The two children of the restaurateur couple Pfistermüller no longer want to run the pub in its usual form. The search for staff is too laborious...

For another traditional inn, it will soon be "Sperrstund' is'." In Sankt Florian near Linz, Edith and Friedrich Pfistermüller are retiring from the inn of the same name - also known as Märzenkeller. At the end of September, the lights go out for good in the house located on the Way of St. James.

Son Patrick and daughter Selina no longer want to run the family business in the usual way. In future, they will only take care of the twelve guest rooms with 22 beds and the rental of the large event hall.

"Our prices have always remained the same"
Her parents also do not want to lease out the inn with its idyllic garden. This marks the end of a long gastronomic era: "My grandmother's aunt started it at the end of the 19th century. After that, my grandparents and then my father continued to run it. I initially worked as a technician and took over the business 27 years ago," says 61-year-old Friedrich Pfistermüller.

He sees the end with a smile and a tear in his eye: "I can take regular retirement and enjoy the best of health. Nevertheless, I'm sad that it's over. It was a great time."

Prices remained the same
The search for staff in particular was very arduous. "As a country inn, you have a particularly difficult time," says the restaurateur. However, he is concerned about the sharp rise in prices for food and drinks in restaurants. They are often justified solely by the rise in energy and product costs. "Of course that plays a role. But we have not gone along with this. Our prices have remained the same in recent years."