Styrian innkeepers

“Eight euros for an empty plate is a joke!”

Isabella Edler from Glöckl Bräu in Graz(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

The uproar was huge: at Lake Wörthersee, a restaurateur charges eight euros if you order an extra plate. His Styrian colleagues in the sector can only understand such pricing to a limited extent. However, rising costs also mean higher prices for our establishments.

Such pricing is causing a wave of indignation even at the noble Wörthersee. Last week, a guest was outraged when he was charged eight euros for an empty plate in a sophisticated lakeside restaurant. The uproar was huge - many spoke of a rip-off and a loss of reality.

The Carinthian restaurant spokesman countered that the eight euros were shown on the menu - you would have to ask your colleague for the exact price calculation. We asked Styrian restaurateurs what they thought of this Carinthian idea.

"Pricing is not comprehensible"
"It's up to you what you spend your money on, but I can't understand this pricing," says Isabella Edler from Glöckl Bräu in Graz, shaking her head. "In any case, you can split the schnitzel between two plates - I'm happy if everything is eaten and we don't have to throw anything away."

Robert Nguyen from "Vina" in Graz(Bild: Andreadis)

Robert Nguyen from the top Vietnamese restaurant Vina in Graz has a similar view: "Honestly, for me, eight euros for an empty plate is a joke. The guest has also consumed other things, so I would never charge extra for something like that."

Although, of course, innkeepers on this side of the Pack have long since felt the effects of rising prices and full reservation books are no longer a matter of course for all hosts. Accordingly, Klaus Josef Friedl, chairman of the gastronomy division, is also gracious in his treatment of his Carinthian colleague: "You can do this in top restaurants in particular - but you don't have to. Ultimately, it's up to the guest to decide whether they're willing to pay."

Daniel Edelsbrunner from "Kupferdachl" charges a plate fee under certain circumstances.(Bild: GLDDGGRS (Tina Szabo Photography))

Daniel Edelsbrunner, who only last year won the third toque for his "Kupferdachl" in Premstätten, takes a different view: "We also charge a plate fee, but only if a table of two only orders water and a starter to share. Then we charge 1.50 euros, but add more bread," says the 37-year-old. His recipe for good cooperation: "Act with a healthy sense of proportion!"

Rising costs - higher prices
The fact that prices have risen so sharply is also due to higher costs. Nevertheless, the price increase for drinks, for example, is well above inflation: "On average, prices this year were 4.5 percent higher than in July 2023. Inflation in this period was three percent," explains market researcher Josef Kaufmann. Last year, the price increase was even more striking. While this year's increase was 4.5 percent, beverage prices in Graz skyrocketed by as much as eleven percent in summer 2023. Inflation from July 2022 to 2023 was "only" seven percent.