Gastro chairman Pulker

Smoking ban: “Will still be a difficult topic”

(Bild: krone.tv)

The pub industry has gone into overdrive, explains Mario Pulker, Chairman of the Gastronomy Division of the Chamber of Commerce, in the krone.tv talk. "The balance sheets from 2023 have shown that there has never been such a bad economic result as in the past year."

Energy costs, a massive rise in interest rates, increased rents and lease rates as well as a high cost of goods sold: all of this had a negative impact on businesses. "The decline in the number of pubs has been going on for decades, and now it's gone into overdrive again," says Pulker. In addition, many businesses are due to be handed over in the next few years. "You can see that young people are not willing to take over businesses."

"Getting people back to work"
The personnel situation is also precarious, as it is becoming increasingly common for people not to want to take a job due to high social benefits. "It's about getting people back to work. It can't be the case that social benefits are so high that people won't take a job. That's something that doesn't work in the economy."

Outdoor smoking ban would be a "disaster"
Pulker describes a possible outdoor smoking ban for catering establishments as a disaster. "In urban areas, when people go out to smoke, we have the issue of neighbors who feel harassed." This can lead to closing hours being brought forward, which in turn has an impact on turnover. "In the worst-case scenario, we then have to close."

The ban on smoking in indoor areas in 2019 already meant the end for many businesses, explains Pulker. "Now we've created outdoor dining areas, which has cost a lot of money, and now the EU is coming up with the idea of introducing more restrictive measures. That's a total no-go for us. Yes, the EU Commission's directive is a voluntary one, that will be a difficult issue."