"Many have no idea how they'll survive the winter"

The latest federal restrictions have also pushed many restaurants and bars to their limits in the canton of Zug. Christmas dinners and family celebrations have been cancelled. But they still want to remain open, even though this demands a lot from them.

He did not wear a protective face mask out of conviction. The police came by five times: there had been a number of complaints about breaches of the Covid 19 Regulation, and he was forced to close his restaurant for 36 hours last week. But the Restaurant Raten re-opened on Friday. Host Ivan Iten has bowed down to authority, and now wears a protective face mask when he’s working. He has always been open to discussion, he stresses. But he now has other worries. He has received 900 cancellations up to the end of the year. All the Christmas parties and family celebrations have been cancelled. "And now that the Federal Council has decreed that there may be only four persons per table, people have also cancelled smaller events, which they are now going to carry out at home. Because ten people are allowed to get together there."

Most gastronomic operations in the canton of Zug are currently having similar experiences. "Many people have no idea how they will survive the winter," says Barbara Schneider, President of Gastro Zug. In contrast to the first wave of the pandemic, short-time working can only be claimed at the moment if they keep their business open.

Restaurants need a minimum of staff
And the matter of short-time working is difficult in smaller restaurants, says Schneider. "If a smaller restaurant has a single employee – in my example, the chef – I can't let him work any less. Because when I'm open, guests expect the kitchen to be open and to be served." It’s true that there are many colleagues who now work longer shifts themselves, because, as the owner of a restaurant, you cannot apply for short-time working allowances anyway. But this also has its limits.

"Raten" host Ivan Iten.

Aid for companies stricken by the Corona pandemic should be provided by the so-called ‘hardship rule’, which is currently being applied by the Confederation. But this will not enter into force until 1 January at the earliest. According to Schneider, that will probably be too late for some restaurants in the canton of Zug.

The political process delays rapid aid
Silvia Thalmann, the responsible government councillor in Zug, knows the concerns of the Zug restaurants, and is in regular contact with Gastro Zug. As she explains, the challenge at the moment is that, unlike in the spring, the Federal Council no longer classifies the situation as "extraordinary" but as "special". In that case, the political processes must be respected. Not only the Confederation, but also the Canton of Zug must pass a corresponding law. The regulation stipulates that the Confederation and the canton will each share half the costs of the hardship cases.

That’s why the canton of Zug is now working hard to create the necessary legal foundations, says Silvia Thalmann, so that this hardship rule can enter into force in the canton of Zug from 1 January. Both the Confederation and the canton have thereby streamlined their political processes as much as possible. "However, if the cantonal parliament does not participate, the law may well come into force much later."

Gastro Zug calls for temporary closure without redundancies
In order to make it a little easier for the restaurant operators to survive until the new law comes into force, Gastro Zug is also championing short-time working allowances for temporarily closed operations.

"Once a operation is open, the costs go up," says Barbara Schneider. With this solution, those places that want to remain open, and who can financially afford this, could remain open. "In this way, the remaining customers would also be better distributed among the restaurants that are still open," she hopes. "It would be a win-win situation."

In the meantime, host Iwan Iten at the "Raten" has switched to flexible opening hours. "We will decide from day to day. If all the reservations are cancelled, I won’t open at all." But he still feels under pressure. "As a businessman, I have to react, to lay people off or to even close." But he believes that the costs should not be borne by individual entrepreneurs. "The Confederation and the canton governments decided on these measures. They should now also pay for the costs." For those who make the decisions must also be prepared to bear the consequences.