Falco in Leipzig: the two-star restaurant closes forever

Leipzig. The “Falco” celebrated its 18th birthday in May, but it has now come to an end: the two-star restaurant on the 27th floor of the Westin Hotel in Leipzig is closing forever. According to the company’s management, it is no longer economically viable and no longer fits the times. Catering activities will be gradually closed in the coming weeks. As many employees as possible should be offered other positions in the hotel.

The reasons for the end: shortage of skilled labor and cost explosion

Lately on the “Falco” website in the “Careers” section we are looking for new people for many kitchen and service positions. In addition to the severe shortage of skilled labor and the difficulty in finding highly qualified staff, hugely increased personnel costs and the purchase prices of high-quality ingredients and products are also among the main reasons for the closure, according to hotel manager Andreas Hachmeister . The decision was made after careful consideration and is deeply regretted by the management.

“Closing Ristorante Falco is a heartbreaking decision. We have done everything in our power to maintain operations, but the economic challenges are simply too overwhelming,” it said in a statement. The restaurant has earned an outstanding reputation in the culinary world. It was renovated and modernized for three months after the Corona closure period and reopened in August 2021. The collaboration with Brad Pitt’s winery began at that time.

Owner Peter Maria Schnurr was “Chef of the Year”

The great chef Peter Maria Schnurr is currently unavailable to answer questions. The 54-year-old is not the owner of the “Falco”, but an employee of the Westin Hotel. He built the high-end restaurant and has run it since 2005. In 2008 he received his second Michelin star and in 2016 he was named German “Chef of the Year” by the Gault Millau restaurant guide. He became known throughout Germany thanks to his appearances on cooking television programs such as “Kitchen Impossible” or on the jury of “Top Chef Germany”.

Vouchers can be returned

For a few days now, booking a table at “Falco” has no longer been possible and the online form is no longer clickable. The public was initially told that the upscale restaurant would be on holiday in November. This is what we read on Monday evening on the mega poster at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Augustusplatz, which belongs to the same hotel group. In reality, there is no turning back for the gourmet restaurant.

For a few days now, there has been a lot of talk in the Leipzig restaurant scene about the “Falco” and Schnurr himself. In addition to the economic problems, there is also speculation about the starred chef and his perhaps not entirely voluntary departure. Nobody wants to confirm it officially, but it would be an explanation for the suddenly announced “company holidays”. The “Falco” usually goes on holiday in the months of January and August.

All guests who currently have vouchers for a restaurant visit can redeem them at the still open “Falco” bar, or exchange them for hotel services at Hotel The Westin Leipzig, or get a full refund of their money. “We are also very sorry for this circumstance in this context,” said hotel manager Hachmeister.

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Former “Falco” employees start their own restaurants

Two former Falco employees are currently starting their own project in Leipzig: Daniel Kreßner, deputy head chef for 13 years, and Christian Wilhelm, sommelier at “Falco” for eight years, are celebrating the reopening of the “Helmut” inn on Sunday (November). 19) on Gohliser Strasse. A project that they carry out together with Andreas Reinke and Lisa Angermann from the one-star restaurant “Frieda” in Gohlis – Reinke and Angermann also worked at the “Falco”.

Patron Peter Maria Schnurr himself had previously stated that he wanted to stay in Leipzig until “Falco’s” 20th birthday and then leave Germany with his wife – somewhere in the sunny south.

LVZ