"Mainhattan - the city that sleeps at 10 pm?" With this provocative question, the Initiative Gastronomie Frankfurt e. V. (IGF) is entering into a broad dialog with urban society and politicians. The background to this is that, with the start of the terrace season, discussions about the opening hours of restaurants are increasing, particularly in the evening. For some businesses in the city center, such as the Naiv in Fahrgasse or the Margarete in Braubachstraße, this could mean closing their terraces early. They would then have to close at 10 p.m. in summer. The IGF is therefore calling for a compromise that will also satisfy local residents.
This envisages allowing one last round until 11 p.m. during the week and until midnight at weekends. It is also calling on supporters of this compromise solution to express their views publicly on a campaign website set up specifically for this purpose. Some well-known faces from the worlds of politics, business, sport and gastronomy have already spoken out. "In the summer months, everyone wants to sit outside, even in the evening when it's light for a long time. Many guests don't come for dinner until around 8 pm. Closing at 10 p.m. would
lead to enormous losses in sales in addition to great resentment among guests", says Lena Iyigün, Chairwoman of the Board of the Frankfurt Gastronomy Initiative. "A premature closure would be
tragic - tragic not only for gastronomy, culture and trade, but also for the reputation of our city and, of course, for all guests who want to enjoy an extended summer evening in their favorite restaurant or bar. Imagine a similar scenario in Barcelona, Paris or Rome - unthinkable," adds Florian Joeckel,
Managing Director of Massif Central and also an IGF member.
The IGF wants to reach a compromise "that both sides can live with," says Iyigün. Florian Joeckel goes even further: "I think we need special protection zones for Frankfurt's
city center, which also apply to sport and culture. By extending the opening hours in these zones, we improve the quality of life and at the same time
strengthen the local economy." For Iyigün, there are other reasons for keeping outdoor restaurants open until at least 11 p.m.: "Experience has shown that when guests have to leave restaurants at 10 p.m., they move their activities to public spaces. We have already experienced similar scenarios during the pandemic and we know the effects: It not only leads to more noise for the residents living there, but also to significant littering, as we experience at weekends in many places in the city center, for example at the Alte Oper."
There would also be the safety aspect: many guests would feel safer in the city center if they knew that the bar or restaurant around the corner was open longer. Ultimately, sufficiently long opening hours are also a question of competitiveness with other cities. "Frankfurt is one of the five largest cities in Germany, has the highest density of restaurants in terms of
population and, as a financial center, with its university and proximity to the international airport, enjoys a reputation for openness to the world among
business travelers, tourists and citizens. This reputation must be maintained," says Matthias Martinsohn, member of the IGF board. Supporters who would like to support the IGF's proposal with their vote can submit an official statement via the IGF website. Florian Joeckel: "The more votes we collect from the people of Frankfurt against the early closure of outdoor catering, the more convincingly we can make it clear that
Frankfurt doesn't want to go to sleep at 10 pm."
