Online food delivery service apps have been sweeping the world in force. In 2015 alone, online delivery food sales accounted for $4 billion of the $30 billion delivery market. More apps have hit the scene since then, forcing brick-and-mortar eateries to adapt to the changing dynamics of the food world.
German butcher Claus Boebel has his own brick and mortar solution to get people away from food delivery apps. He built and opened Boebel Bratwurst Bed and Breakfast in his hometown of Rittersbach in Germany. He has dubbed it the world's first Bratwurst hotel. Dedicated wholly to the German sausage, this place is heaven for sausage lovers and probably hell for vegans. Everything down to decor and tchotchkes is sausage-themed, including pillows. The fourth generation butcher wants to give people a taste of his home and he aims to do it through Bratwurst.
"I called it 'Wurst-arant' -- because I serve only bratwurst in this restaurant in many different styles. I serve not steaks with onions -- I serve bratwurst with onions. I serve not the German schnitzel, I serve bratwurst schnitzel. I serve many different styles of bratwurst with chili, with horseradish, or with chocolate or coffee inside," remarks Boebel.
Millennials alone are predicted to spend $1.4 trillion on travel every year through 2020. Boebel conceived his Wurstarant by thinking of travel. People are in love with experience-based travel destinations and his town, he admitted, isn't exactly a tourist hub in Germany. He had to think of something unique to draw more visitors. Thus he set out to give people a way to experience where he grew up. Plus, there's the added allure of his location not having to deal with overcrowded, overpriced, and oversaturated tourist hotspots. Thus far he's had travelers from all over the world and his story has gone viral.
While Americans are eating more than 10 billion bowls of soup every year, Boebel wants the world to understand exactly how much Germans enjoy sausages. Which is a lot. Apparently enough to establish a hotel dedicated to the celebration of sausage.
It's receiving so much international attention that he's ecstatic about it. When asked about concerns of offending vegetarians, vegans, and the like, he simply responded that he hasn't caught any flak. People see what his bed and breakfast is about online and simply don't book a room if it's not their cup of tea.
"This is the absolute bratwurst heaven and I love that. I wanted to get a bit of holiday feeling in my house and make the bratwurst attractive for the whole world. I want to show that small craftsman shops like mine can survive when you have clever ideas. Plus I love life here in the countryside and, rather than leave, want to draw customers here to Rittersbach," he said.
The idea is a piece of genius that savvy travelers have a handle on. People want to find experiences that are off the beaten path. With the number of castle tours that are so popular in the German countryside, he just wants people to come to have a sausage (or two) and stay the night if they'd like. A quiet slice of life in a town that has a population of about 300.
His culinary passion and creativity are certainly poised for success. We only wish him and his hotel the best of the wurst
