Television chefs Frank Rosin (59) and Alexander Kumptner (42) are still very worried about the future of the catering industry. “Regardless of the political color: we are all dissatisfied at the moment. I have been doing my job as an entrepreneur for 35 years. And I see black people today,” Rosin told the German Press Agency. Fellow chef, Kumptner from Austria, agrees: “We don’t need to sugarcoat it. It’s just a business problem for many industries, including the catering industry.”
Starting January 1 2026, VAT on food in restaurants in Germany will be reduced again from 19 percent to 7 percent. The law, which still has to be passed by the Federal Council in December, is urgently needed, Rosin said. “Sales have plummeted, innkeepers can no longer make a living, you can no longer feed your family from restaurants.”
Concerns about culinary heritage
Due to the constraints of austerity in the industry, Kumptner also pays attention to quality, recipes and culinary heritage. “Then Königsberger Klopse will no longer be cooked in a rustic way, Wiener Schnitzel will no longer be baked in clarified butter, but simply – sorry – shit will be sold.” Taxes and duties on goods, energy and employees are too high. “If there’s a black zero in the book at the end, some people will be happy. And that’s wrong.”
The two TV chefs will appear in their new documentary “Rosin & Kumptner: Mission Mittendrin!” starting Thursday (8:15 p.m.). can be seen on the Eins cable. In four episodes, the chef friends delve into the world with different themes. At Hamburg’s Reeperbahn, a dominatrix tells her emotional life story, and a restaurant owner takes part in a rescue drill on a military ship.
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