Shock in Rostock: Popular Liberty Delis closes overnight!

Shock in Rostock: Popular Liberty Delis closes overnight!

A shock for the Rostock catering scene: The popular "Liberty Delis Burger & Beer-House" announced its closure on June 13th on June 13th. The news was wrong for many because the restaurant became a fixture in the old town for almost 13 years.

Owner Jan Schernau and his wife Claudia originally opened the “Liberty Delis” in 2010 as a snack bar in Kröpeliner Straße. In 2018 they ventured the next step and opened as a full restaurant at Faule Straße 13. In the evening in particular, the restaurant was a popular meeting place, where you often found no place without a reservation. All the more the regular customers are surprised and shocked by the sudden.

a setback for the gastronomy

The closure of the Liberty Delis is seen as a setback for the entire gastro scene of the Hanseatic city. In recent years, not only big chains such as Vapiano and McDonald’s have closed their branches in Rostock; The "Meatropolis" also gave up after 16 years. The studio restaurant in Warnemünde recently closed its doors after 20 years. The closed note at the restaurant gives hope for a possible reopening, but the exact reason for the closure remains unclear.

Especially bitter for lovers of local gastronomy is the fact that Rostock had only experienced a real burger boom at the beginning of the year. New bars such as "Burger-Vision" and "Hans im Glück" opened, and Jim Block even plans an opening in the former McDonald’s rooms in the fourth quarter. But the current developments throw a shadow on these positive moments.

challenges for the industry

The closure of the Liberty Delis fits into a larger picture that affects the catering in Germany. As Deutschlandfunk reports, many operators suffer from the effects of the long corona apandemy that numerous companies have driven to ruin. In 2024, sales in catering fell by 3.8 percent compared to the previous year and is 15.8 percent below the level of 2019. Especially in rural areas and smaller cities like Rostock, the future remains uncertain.

The operators are facing permanently increasing costs - energy prices, rents and food expenses have passed through the ceiling in recent years. Many restaurants had to adapt their opening times and rely on delivery services to literally remain afloat. Nevertheless, it remains a challenge to offer guests attractive prices and at the same time to cover the costs. In order to cope with this crisis, there are approaches such as cooperatives and support from the community in different cities, but the path remains rocky.

Another aspect is the "donut effect" in the city centers, in which less is consumed, while more people flock to the local at the weekend. This changed consumption behavior presents many restaurateurs with new challenges.

The Liberty Delis will be missing in the Rostock catering scene and leaves many questions open about the future of the industry, which is currently in transition. With mixed feelings, the Rostockers look at the coming weeks and months, hoping that the change for the catering trade will soon become less painful.