► https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/story/der-kampf-um-koeche-und-kellner-wie-wirte-an-behoerden-scheitern/

In Cologne, Mikko and Sascha Bayer want to open a new restaurant and hired four Indonesian chefs months ago. But first, they need to go through an immigration process – the “accelerated skilled workers process” – which involves a detailed examination of their qualifications. Months pass, and the restaurant’s opening is now in jeopardy.

In Munich, Russian chef and war refugee Denis Shershnev applies to work at the Augustiner Klosterwirt in the city center. The owner, Gregor Lemke, is thrilled and immediately agrees to hire Shershnev. However, Shershnev has to travel back to Armenia because the required skilled-worker visa can only be applied for from abroad.

The 20-year-old waiter Ashti Abdi also has to leave Germany. His asylum application was denied. Ashti came to Germany at age 13, speaks fluent German, has worked as a waiter for three years, and is one of the best service staff members at “Augustiner am Platzl” in the heart of Munich. He was just about to start a formal apprenticeship there. Now, the Yazidi Christian is waiting in Iraq for his apprenticeship visa. His employer, restaurant owner Oliver Wendel, is investing a lot of time and money to help Ashti navigate the applications and bureaucracy.

Three stories from centers of hospitality – Cologne and Munich – show the enormous hurdles of bringing chefs and service staff from outside Europe to Germany. Can we afford to keep assessing everything by German standards? Are we steering toward the demise of our hospitality industry with German thoroughness?