"A solution must be found"

Uproar over different restaurant garden closing hours

How long should pubs stay open in the evening? Join the discussion in the comments!

(Bild: Harald Dostal)

Pubs in Villach are annoyed about the different opening hours for their outdoor areas - some pub gardens close at 10 pm, others stay open longer. Why this is the case and how the problem should be solved.

In the summer months, Villach not only attracts locals to the city center with its living room atmosphere and feel-good program. Many tourists also enjoy the evening excursions to the Drau town.

However, in some restaurants it often closes at 10 pm. In the neighboring pub or a few houses down the street, on the other hand, the party can go on until midnight.

"We have a proliferation of curfew regulations in the city that no longer makes sense," says Villach VP city councillor and market consultant Christian Pober. This unequal treatment of restaurateurs must be abolished quickly: "Villach is known for its hospitality. We can't send guests from restaurant garden to restaurant garden."

"Locals and tourists in Villach are sent from restaurant to restaurant from 10 p.m. onwards," says the criticism. "Unfortunately, as a city, we have no power to intervene and assess the situation for the restaurateurs ourselves," explains Pober.

Closing hours calculated according to noise level
This is because the requirements of the trade regulations are a matter for the federal government. The closing hours are calculated according to the noise level in the respective restaurants. Pober: "There is a lack of sensitivity here."

To put an end to this, the VP has now submitted a motion to the municipal council. "Together with the parties, we were able to work out a proposed solution, which only needs to be made possible by the federal government," the VP city councillor continued. "I will also campaign for this proposal with the Association of Municipalities and Cities."