Alois Rainer voted the new gastro chairman: New times for the industry!

Alois Rainer voted the new gastro chairman: New times for the industry!

What is going on in Austrian gastronomy? An exciting turn in the industry has now taken place with the choice of Alois Rainer as the new chairman of the Gastronomy Association in the Austria Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ). At the constituent session, Rainer received a large majority and, as the successor to Mario Pulker, who held the office for a decade. However, Pulker recently got into the headlines about controversial statements about guests with dogs and children, whom he later revised. MeinDärzkreze that Rainer has been active in the WKÖ since 2018 the Tyrol Chamber of Commerce worked.

Rainer, who, together with his wife, leads the Gasthof Hotel Post in Strass in the Zillertal in the fourth generation, has established himself as an experienced representative of the industry. He has been a chairman of the tourism and leisure industry division since 2022 and has also been able to profile himself as a federal divisional chairman. In a gratifying change, he is supported in his new task by Klaus Josef Friedl and Wolfgang Binder, the former chairman of the Kaffeehäuser specialist group in Vienna. ORF Tirol added that Rainer has announced that it is powerful for the interests of gastronomy.

an industry overview

Gastronomy is an important economic factor in Austria, which generates around 16.7 billion euros in sales annually. According to Statista , the hospitality, which consists of accommodation and catering, contributes to the overall economy and employs around 285,600 people, which makes up 6.1 percent of the total employment.

There are around 31,300 restaurants in Austria, with the largest proportion of around 7,650 restaurants being provided. This large number of companies are shown in the individual federal states, whereby Vienna is at the top: most restaurants are located here, followed by Lower Austria and Upper Austria. A remarkable trend has been the decline in apprenticeships in gastronomy over the past ten years. In 2023 there were only about 2,662 apprentices, while in 2012 there were over 4,400.

prospects under new leadership

In minds of these challenges, Rainer has announced that he was closely working with his team to give new impulses for the industry. The Gastronomy Association represents around 56,000 companies with over 153,000 employees and will continue to stand up for basic concerns. A focus is on the new framework collective agreement in which Rainer and his team want to bring a breath of fresh air.

Gastronomy in Austria not only has a long tradition, but also great potential for the future. With Alois Rainer at the head of the specialist association, a new era could be heralded that meets the challenges of the industry and at the same time promotes the diversity and quality of Austrian gastronomy.