In addition to being Head Sommelier at Bar Mural, Wolfgang Hingerl is also General Manager and Host of the entire Mural Group. Previously, he poured only the best drops in innovative restaurants such as the Last Supper or the first farm-to-table restaurant, Cantine Cantona. In this interview, he gives a look behind the curtain of the restaurant business.
Moritz Meyn and you were awarded Gastronomer of the Year at the Rolling Pin Convention. What accounts for your success with the Mural Group?
We actually only do what we like. So far, that has always worked out well. Our concepts are individual, each for itself, but with the commonality that they were really born out of a passion for good food and good hospitality.
You have just opened a new restaurant. What concept are you pursuing there?
Yes, we are currently in the start-up phase with the Mural Farmhouse in Obersendling. It's the restaurant of the 440-room Hotel Wunderlocke. Not all parts are ready yet. For example, the roof terrace. By the way, a large part of the area will be used for raised beds. For spicy herbs, vegetables and fruit, such as the aromatic Mieze Schindler strawberry. The concept here is: farm to table. We practically only use ingredients that come from within a radius of no more than 40 kilometers around the city. So everything is regional. The only exceptions are salt, pepper, coffee and wine.
What do you see as the biggest challenges for restaurants in the coming years?
Preserving diversity and sustainability. This requires trained personnel, who should also be well paid. And good, cleanly produced products. This in turn leads to high prices, which guests must first be willing to pay.
With digital tools you can counteract and reduce costs. When it comes to online reservations, you rely entirely on the aleno restaurant software. What are the reasons for this decision?
One point is the good communication with the support team and that we have contact persons on site. In addition, the pricing model, in which restaurateurs are partners and not just a sales factor. It was also important for us to have a solution that is open and therefore adaptable to other software solutions we use. If the POS and the booking system from the partner hotel communicate with the aleno reservation system and automatically synchronize data, this is an advantage for all sides. Especially for the guest.
Were there any other criteria that tipped the scales in favor of aleno?
One point is the good communication with the support team and that we have contact persons on site. In addition, the pricing model, in which restaurateurs are partners and not just a sales factor. It was also important for us to have a solution that is open and therefore adaptable to other software solutions we use. If the POS and the booking system from the partner hotel communicate with the aleno reservation system and automatically synchronize data, this is an advantage for all sides. Especially for the guest.
Guests disclose data when making online reservations. Do you actively use this data, for example for upselling or customized offers?
Of course, we maintain our guest file with all the information that allows us that the guest thereby has a more pleasant stay. Especially when customers have already booked in several of our establishments, this helps the different teams enormously. And is to the benefit of the guest. But it also allows us to work more efficiently. And that in turn helps all sides in the end.
Ticketing und No-Show-Gebühren sind heiß diskutiert. Viele Gastronom*innen warten ab, weil unklar ist, ob Gäste das akzeptieren. Wie siehst du das: Haben Ticketing bzw. No-Show-Gebühren auch im deutschsprachigen Raum eine Chance?
Ticketing and no-show fees are hotly debated. Many restaurateurs are waiting because it's unclear whether guests will accept it. How do you see it? Do ticketing and no-show fees have a chance in German-speaking countries?
So, no more failing guests?
There are cancellations at short notice, but these are at least communicated by telephone or in good time via e-mail and a new date is found together. We don't want to make money from cancellations. There can always be a good reason. The goal should be to make up for this one evening together. If that is the case - and it always is - then we are of course very cooperative.
Are guests bothered by no-show fees?
No, not really. And let's be honest, not every guest who drinks a glass of wine, a drink or a beer at the bar has to verify their identity with a credit card. Likewise, spontaneous reservations one hour before the start are always possible without entering a credit card. It just has to be in proportion. But it also requires a certain feeling. That, in turn, is what we have to have.
Do you also use ticketing - for events or menus?
We will tackle ticketing this year. If we can only offer 20 seats a day for a small, culinary entertainment, I think it goes without saying that you can buy tickets here just as you would for a concert, a film or a play. We are, after all, a bit of all that. In this day and age, when virtually everyone has a credit card and can use Smartpay, Apple Pay and so on, that should no longer be a hurdle.
So will ticketing also become established?
When we talk to other restaurateurs, we also notice that no-show fees or ticketing have long since become part of everyday life in the niche throughout Germany. And let's be honest: Even if we are adventurous, plannable, financial security is worth more in this day and age than guests who realize 30 minutes in advance that they have made reservations in three establishments at the same time and get away with it every time without consequences.
What are your plans for the near and distant future?
Train more, farm more. And much more appreciation of what we are allowed to do and be even closer to the product. Being more responsive to the here and now as an employer, traveling more and gathering impressions. And then, of course, there are some ideas and concepts in mind for 2023 and 2024.
