Restaurateurs struggling in the crisis

The Corona crisis is badly affecting the restaurants in the canton of Zug. Many hosts are keeping themselves afloat until the re-opening through delivery services.

While hairdressers and garden centres have been allowed to re-open from 27 April, restaurants must remain closed until 11 May. But it’s well known that necessity is the mother of invention. Although a large part of the service staff are currently doing short-time work, many Zuger restaurants now offer their menus via takeaway and delivery service.

This is also the case for the traditional Restaurant Guggital in Zug. The owners, Martin and Cornelia Elsener, have been supplying meals to between 5 and 45 customers every day for the last six weeks. Even before the lockdown, hardly any guests were coming to the restaurant, and the main business with banquets had collapsed, says Cornelia Elsener. "At the very beginning, we mainly created the takeaway and delivery service out of the fear that we would otherwise no longer generate any revenue, and would be left sitting on our fixed costs."

As the staff – apart from the chef – are currently staying at home, the whole Elsener family is involved in the operation of the "Guggital". Martin and Cornelia Elsener take care of orders and also help with the washing up, while the daughter helps in the kitchen and the sons drive the meals to the customers. The feedback is positive and the business is going well, says Martin Elsener. "But we are still happy for every single order. Because the situation is still precarious for a catering company of our size."

Photo 1: Martin Elsener brings Irmin Nauer her lunch.
Photo 2: Cornelia und Martin Elsener on the way to a customer.
 

Restaurants can breathe a sigh of relief from 11 May
Many restaurant chefs are in a similar situation. Dominik Röösli of the Brasserie Maienrisli in Baar  also speaks of massive sales losses. "We sell 20 to 40 menus a day with our pick-up and delivery service," says Röösli.

"This corresponds to 10% of the revenue that we normally generate when the restaurant is open and when we can carry out our catering service."

That is scarcely enough to cover running costs. But the hole in the cash register will dig into the reserves, said Röösli.

Thomas Peinhaupt from the Landhaus Steirereck im "Kreuz" in Cham also agrees. In March – which is usually the highest month for sales because of general meetings – he took 70% less this year. Peinhaupt has set up a Schnitzel Drive-in service that allows customers to pick up their dishes from their car. This is helping to cover losses In the short term. "But if we have to stay closed for longer, we will have a problem." The hosts are therefore happy that they will be able to reopen their restaurants under strict conditions from 11 May.

Great solidarity from customers
In addition to the restaurateurs who are helping themselves with pick-up and delivery service, there are many who are currently completely closed. For example, Guido Schneider-Regli from Gasthaus zum Rössli in Oberägeri. Without the suitable infrastructure, it’s not worth converting the small business to take-away. The Oberägerer has come up with something else: via the website, customers can order a "Rössli" voucher and support the operation. Schneider-Regli explains: "Especially now, with nothing coming in, we need liquidity. Guests who now buy a voucher can redeem it with us as soon as we are allowed to open again."

Like many others, the landlord mentions the great solidarity of the customers, which is expressed in the form of encouragement and payments. Gastro Zug has also followed up on the idea with the vouchers. The association has launched a campaign via radio and posters, in which the "Rössli" host talks about his idea and asks visitors to support their favourite restaurant.

A 96-year-old woman from Zug is also being supplied
On the meantime, the  "Rathauskeller" in Zug and the Restaurant  Eierhals in Morgarten have set up special takeaways. In addition to ready-made meals, customers in Morgarten can pick up fresh whitefish or pike fillets for home-cooking, while fresh products with cooking instructions can be picked up from the "Rathauskeller" for cooking at home. The  "Rössli" in Hünenberg and the  "Sternen" in Walchwil are also carrying out home deliveries. This only covers a part of the costs, but, thanks to good reserves, they are not dependent on the delivery service, emphasize both hosts. "It is more important to stay on the move and to be able to give something back to loyal customers," say Martin Eggimann from the "Rössli" and Giorgio Bernard from the Restaurant Sternen.

This was also a driving force for the Elsener family in the "Guggital". Cornelia Elsener emphasizes that the delivery service wanted to do something good, especially for older people who could not get out because of the corona virus. She also brings lunch to 96-year-old Irmin Nauer every day. It’s an enormous relief, says her son Marcel Nauer: "Self-isolation presents many single and elderly people with great difficulties. There is a need for angels like these in gastronomy, and it is  very valuable."