How 19 students show off their skills in the traditional inn in Pichling

Work is concentrated in the kitchen, the tables are set, the service team is ready. This evening the guests of the… “s’Wirtshaus in Pichling” You can look forward to a very special menu: four courses, prepared and served by 19 students from the graduating classes of the Bad Leonfelden tourism schools.

More on the subject: Is the shortage of staff in the catering industry “self-made”?

The 18-year-olds took over the traditional inn in the south of Linz for a day. After Wels, Feldkirchen, Schwertberg and Kirchschlag, it is the fifth edition of “School makes pub”, a project of the Upper Austrian KultiWirte, the gastronomy and hotel industry association and the Bad Leonfelden tourism schools.

Students with a lot of experience

But the young restaurateurs are hardly excited because they all have plenty of practical experience. There is Kathrin Pirklbauer from Waldburg, who worked in large hotels in Kitzbühel and Afiesl, Felix Hayder from Gallneukirchen was in a five-star hotel in Hinterglemm and Kerstin Seyr from Altenberg was even on the island of Sylt. “With us you get a very broad education that opens up the world to you”says Herbert Panholzer, director of the Bad Leonfelden tourism schools. Demand is high and the new fall classes have already filled every last spot. Paradoxically, the high level is also a reason for frequent changes. “Our students and apprentices are also interesting for other industries”says Gerold Royda, oö. Hotel industry chairman and federal training expert. Young people change because they can and can easily gain a foothold in other industries.

Thomas Mayr-Stockinger, innkeeper and head of the Upper Austrian specialist group, is torn about how they can still be maintained. Gastronomy in the WKO, the head. In addition to the change in leisure behavior and rising prices since Corona, staff is one of the biggest challenges, especially for the classic pub. “We have more employees again than before the pandemic, but we still need a lot more”says Stockinger. Especially in rural areas, the labor situation is so stressful for some people that they eventually give up.

Society has changed

One reason is this “Work-life balance”. “Not all young people are willing to work 60 to 80 hours a week anymore, every industry notices that”says Panholzer. You have to react to this if you want to retain employees. This puts the innkeepers in a dilemma; they have to find a balance between guest and employee orientation. “Guests prefer to have open restaurants around the clock, while employees want to be off when everyone else is off”says Stockinger. It is important to find company-specific solutions, such as a four-day week or free Sundays. Pay is not the problem.

But not all young people see it the same way: 18-year-old Kerstin Seyr, for example, appreciates having some time off during the week and not just on the weekend. But she can’t say whether this will still apply later with her family. In the “s’Wirtshaus in Pichling” Josef Duschanek relies on a good working atmosphere. “You have to respect your employees, this is the only way to reach a common denominator”, he says. In three years, son Alexander will take over.

Also read: AK sees serious failures in the catering industry when it comes to employee retention

It is difficult to say how many such inns still exist. At the turn of the year, the WKOÖ had 5,977 member companies, 70 fewer than the previous year. However, this includes everything, from the pub to the restaurant. “But the classic village inn is required”says Stockinger. On the other hand, he is currently at more new openings than ever before. “This shows that many young people dare to become self-employed.”

Does this also apply to the students who cooked up in Pichling last Wednesday? Most people can certainly imagine that.

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