After 49 years: Out for the oyster cellar in Munich
Munich – The Austernkeller in Munich has existed since 1974. It was the address for oysters, lobster and fine French cuisine – including classic service in black and white. Now it’s over.
No corona aid for the Munich oyster cellar
Alexander Knobl was there from the start, took over the oyster cellar in 2007 and ran it himself together with his wife Brigitte in Stollbergstrasse. “December 17 was our last day,” says Knobl. “We waited until January 5 to see if we would get the Corona bridging aid for 2021. In vain. And now we’re pulling the ripcord.”
That’s fine with him, says Knobl. “We’re at the end. I don’t feel like it anymore either.” The pandemic was a disaster for the hospitality industry. The oyster cellar was a cellar bar. There were no outdoor spaces. “From May we had no guests, it was always like that.” This is why sales in summer differ greatly from those in winter. The authorities could not do anything with fluctuations, so, in short, no corona aid.
Missing guests in the oyster cellar: “The middle class has completely disappeared”
It’s not worth investing your private money in upcoming renovations, and landlords didn’t get any support. “The entire situation in gastronomy, the lack of staff, the constant price increases. These are things that work you up.” In the end, the lobster had become 50 percent more expensive. Customers couldn’t take it anymore.
Many guests were Russians. Since the war in Ukraine they don’t come to Munich anymore. But the changes in society are also having an impact. The oyster cellar was an upscale eatery. “Our passing audience was the middle class, and that has completely disappeared. Today there is only poor or extremely rich,” says Knobl. What brought him sales was the in-between, and that’s missing now.
But Knobl is still looking forward to the future: “We recently became grandparents and will enjoy finally spending more time with the family.”
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