Restaurant culture chefs:

“Innkeepers are cooks, waiters, accountants, buyers”

Chairwoman Kathrin Zollner and Chairman Gerfried Hopf head up the Carinthian Inn Culture Association. The duo wants to put local businesses in the spotlight.(Bild: Klaus Loibnegger)

In an interview with "Krone", the two heads of Carinthia's Wirtshauskultur talk about how the association and the industry have developed.

"In the past, you mainly looked after the guests - today, innkeepers are often cooks, waiters, bookkeepers, buyers and social media representatives all in one," agree Kathrin Zollner, Chairwoman, and Gerfried Hopf, Chairman of Kärntner Wirtshauskultur.

The times in pubs have certainly changed, as the passionate gastronomy duo, who have headed the Carinthian Pub Culture Association since last year, report during a cozy "Krone" chat at the regulars' table. Their mission: the fight against the demise of pubs.

"It's more difficult for restaurateurs today than it was 20 or 30 years ago. Not least because of the pandemic and the resulting staffing problems. The ever-increasing bureaucratic hurdles and requirements, which are often difficult to understand, also contribute to this," says Kathrin Zollner, whose father-in-law was a founding member of the Wirtshauskultur-Verein. And that doesn't mean the initially highly controversial smoking ban or the cash register obligation - on the contrary: "In the meantime, this is no longer an issue for smokers themselves. You can't even imagine smoking at the next table when you're eating your schnitzel. As long as there are pleasant conditions, it is accepted that you have to go outside," says Gerfried Hopf.

Carinthian pub culture

The association Wirtshauskultur in Kärnten was founded over 30 years ago. It is now an interest group of around 100 restaurateurs who have a lot in common - above all a love of down-to-earth Carinthian cuisine, good value for money, the preparation of dishes with predominantly local products and, last but not least, a cozy atmosphere. The common, overriding goal: to preserve the Carinthian inn as a traditional cultural asset.

"The cash register also makes accounting easier for larger businesses. Even if I understand that it annoys pub owners who only have a few tables," adds Kathrin Zollner. The typical village pub, where people only serve drinks all day, is an outdated model.

"The time is over"
"As a landlord today, you also have to offer something culinary. Society has changed for the better. The time when men were at the inn until the evening while the wife took care of the household and children is over," says Gerry Hopf. What's more, guests today are much more careful with alcohol consumption when they are out and about by car.

"The aim of our association is to strengthen Carinthian restaurateurs and their cooperation; we want to support each other. And, last but not least, we want to bring the innkeepers to the fore with the help of the pub selection and our recently published pub guide."