Gastronomy in Upper Franconia: Less taxes, but no schnitzel discounts!

Gastronomy in Upper Franconia: Less taxes, but no schnitzel discounts!

The catering industry in Upper Franconia is facing an exciting but also challenging year. On January 1, 2026, sales tax for catering establishments will fall from 19 to 7 percent. However, this good news does not come without skepticism, as the food-pleasure-restaurants union (NGG) expresses. Rainer Reißfelder, acting managing director of NGG Oberfranken, has serious concerns that restaurateurs will actually pass on these tax savings to their guests. Instead, the savings could be used for other operational costs or for higher wages, which are urgently needed due to rising inflation and the new minimum wage. [Wiesentbote].

Earnings in the catering industry are also currently in focus, because from January 1, 2026 the minimum wage will be raised to 13.90 euros per hour. This increase follows the already increased amount of 12.82 euros, which has been in effect since January 1, 2025. According to a statement by Enzo Weber from the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research, the increase in the minimum wage represents a “compromise with a sense of proportion”. Around six million employees in sectors such as retail, catering, logistics and cleaning will benefit from it. The Minimum Wage Commission made the decision after long negotiations, with the SPD also confirming that it agreed to the proposal. ZDF emphasizes that this increase is considered the largest wage increase decided by social partners since the introduction of the minimum wage.

The challenges of gastronomy

The catering industry itself is heavily affected by the ups and downs of the economy. A look at the statistics shows that the industry has experienced numerous turbulences in recent years. The NGG warns that despite the positive signs such as tax relief and wage increases, the real challenges lie in improving working conditions and ensuring fair wages. Integrating tax savings into salaries is an important issue and could be crucial to increasing the attractiveness of the catering industry.

Another significant point is the reaction of restaurants and cafés to these increasing demands. In the Kulmbach district, for example, there are around 140 catering establishments with around 720 employees who now have to ask themselves how they can implement the new salary requirements. In this context, the NGG is calling for a wage supplement for kitchen teams and service staff in order to make developments in the catering industry realistic. GVO Personal informs that the increase in the minimum wage could trigger a significant change in the industry, especially considering that many workers in the catering industry could benefit from higher income and better working conditions.

Conclusions

The coming months in the catering industry will be marked by key moments. Restaurant owners face decisions about how to handle the sales tax cut and minimum wage increase, and whether to use the tax savings to raise wages or invest in other costly areas. It remains to be seen whether guests will soon benefit from lower prices or whether the reduction in sales tax will remain behind closed doors.

Overall, it is important to follow developments closely and to actively ask guests how restaurateurs are implementing the geopolitical and economic changes in the industry. The next steps will not only affect the income of the employees, but will also have a lasting impact on the quality and offerings in the catering industry.