Suche
Mein Konto
Palmenhaus closes: couple moves to Hungary for family reasons!
On November 11th, 2025, the popular Palmengarten restaurant in Sigmaringen will close for family reasons and economic challenges.
Palmenhaus closes: couple moves to Hungary for family reasons!
Sad but true in Cologne: The popular Palmengarten restaurant will close at the end of the year. This was announced by the operators, Zoltan Szilagyi and his wife Gabriella Szilagyine Szabo. After a challenging year, they have to move back to Hungary due to family reasons, including their parents' serious illness. The restaurant, which has been leased by Jörg Stadler since August 2022, has repeatedly struggled with falling sales. In the last few months in particular, revenues have fallen by almost two thirds, which has further exacerbated the situation. The combination of few canoe tourists due to the low water level of the Danube and rising personnel costs has put a lot of strain on the Palmengarten, reports Swabian newspaper.
In a message on Facebook, the operators announced that the restaurant was ready to be taken over. So far, however, no successor has been found who would like to inherit the Palmengarten. What is surprising is that the couple have already terminated the lease despite two years left on the lease. One bright spot remains: If the financial conditions are right, the couple could consider keeping the palm garden.
A look at the industry
The closure of the Palmengarten is not the only worrying signal from the restaurant industry. In neighboring Switzerland it is also evident that the restaurant landscape is coming under increasing pressure. Loud watson.ch From January to September 2025, 872 restaurants have already filed for bankruptcy - an increase of 26% compared to the previous year. The problem? A shortage of skilled workers, rising costs and changing consumer behavior are having a devastating impact on many companies.
Associations such as Gastrosuisse have found that 40% of the catering establishments surveyed sold less than the previous year and that sales fell on average by 2.6%. Many traditional restaurants have to close their doors, including the “Z am Park” in Zurich and the well-known posh restaurant “Strauss” in Winterthur.
The catering industry is facing upheaval, and despite a slight easing in the skilled labor market, the shortage is still noticeable. Apparently demographic changes could also play a role, further reducing the supply of workers.