Noise, harassment of passers-by, violence, litter, vandalism: The list of possible consequences of excessive alcohol consumption in public places is long. In Frankfurt, citizens and retailers have long been grumbling about drunken people who, for example, sleep it off on the Zeil or the station forecourt, urinate in public, or rabble loudly. This is no longer just about the homeless problem, but also increasingly about youthful gangs who attract negative attention when drunk in groups. The Gastronomie Frankfurt initiative supports the recent push by city councillor Markus Frank and calls for a ban on alcohol in public places. "Especially at night, the Zeil presents itself as a true picture of horror," notes the Initiative's CEO, Madjid Djamegari. "This is neither pleasant for night owls, nor for Frankfurt's citizens, nor for visitors to the city who are out and about on the Zeil at night," says Djamegari, who as managing director of the Gibson regularly experiences the extent of the alcohol excesses live. "Representative is different."
Similar experiences are made by James Ardinast of Chez IMA, also on the board of the initiative: "In front of the station and in the entire station district, the conditions are no longer reasonable, and they are getting worse. People are shouting, bawling, urinating in doorways or on the street, and not only in the evening and at night. These heavily intoxicated people, who usually appear in large groups, can no longer be reasoned with." Sooner or later, the restaurateur sees the currently rapidly increasing attractiveness of the station district under considerable threat - to the detriment of all restaurateurs and retailers. "The station is the entrance to the city, the Zeil is one of the most important pedestrian zones - we can't tolerate such conditions. The first impression that a city leaves with visitors, it will not get rid of", says Madjid Djamegari, who experiences a broad agreement for his opinion on the part of the local traders. For him and the members of the Gastronomy Initiative Frankfurt it is clear: "The city needs a legal basis here to take action against heavily intoxicated people and to be able to expel them from public places." Other German cities such as Marburg, Görlitz or Bamberg would successfully demonstrate this.
So is Wolfgang Selinger, general manager of Le Méridien Parkhotel at Wiesenhüttenplatz, and also a member of the initiative, concerned about the international reputation of the cityscape. "Our guests from all over the world are very irritated when they encounter mobbing and rowdy people in front of the hotel who are obviously heavily intoxicated. Surely this is not how a city like Frankfurt can want to present itself."
The Initiative Gastronomie Frankfurt, founded in June, aims to represent and strengthen the interests of restaurateurs and the position of the hospitality industry in Frankfurt - for the benefit of guests as well as the external image of the city. Around 30 restaurateurs have already joined the initiative. They want to contribute to an improved and positive public perception of the gastronomy scene and in this sense make the trade more attractive, fairer and safer for national and international guests as well as employees. To this end, the initiative advocates, among other things, binding standards in the catering industry, promotes integration and training opportunities and wants to campaign against drug abuse, racism and discrimination through events and campaigns. (Text: Ballcom)
