New life in the forest shooting house: The Schäfer family is planning a grand opening!

New life in the forest shooting house: The Schäfer family is planning a grand opening!

After being vacant for several months, the historic forest shooting house in Erlangen finally has new tenants. In March 2024, the operator who previously worked there handed the restaurant over to a waiter due to his age, but he threw in the towel after almost a year. The forest shooting house has remained closed since April 2025. But now there is a breath of fresh air: Anett Schäfer and her husband Oliver, a young couple from Heilbronn, will run the traditional house in the future. The forest shooting house offers significantly more space for events and social gatherings, which is also important for the local community, as nordbayern.de reports.

Anett Schäfer brings a lot of experience with her, as she previously ran the Schäfer wine bar with around 50 seats. The move to Erlangen is an exciting challenge for the family, which they want to take on immediately after the closure of their old restaurant on August 17, 2025. The reopening of the forest shooting house is planned for September 1, 2025, and Anett is optimistic: “We have big plans and are looking forward to becoming part of this community!” she recently said.

A new gastronomy concept

The new tenants not only want to maintain the tradition of the house, but also set new accents. This includes planned collaborations with local clubs, old people's homes and the youth farm to organize pub evenings and leisure activities for children. Plans include coffee and cake afternoons for seniors and game afternoons for families. In addition, discounted meals for students and tradespeople will also be offered at certain times, which will certainly be well received.

The culinary offering will include a varied mix of Swabian, Bavarian and Franconian cuisine. Future dishes that guests can look forward to include Schäuferla, sauerbraten, schnitzel variations and homemade specialties such as Maultaschen and cheese spaetzle. A cozy wine bar with a sun terrace is also being planned, which will not only offer space for casual gatherings, but will also support the bistro feel of the house, confirmed Anett Schäfer infranken.de.

The importance of gastronomy for Erlangen

The reopening of the forest shooting house comes at an important time. Gastronomic establishments like these play a central role in urban development and shape local social life. They not only contribute to the quality of life of citizens, but also promote the local economy, as nutzdeinenortdannhaltenwirdort.de highlights. In recent years, gastronomy in Erlangen, as elsewhere, has changed significantly, not least with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At both the private and public levels, it is increasingly recognized how important a diverse gastronomic offering is for the attractiveness of a city. Anett Schäfer and her husband seem to have a good knack for the challenges that come with gastronomy these days. There is great anticipation for the reopening of the forest shooting house and we can look forward to seeing how the new restaurant will fit into the social and cultural structure of Erlangen.