What makes Germany so special? Probably the fact that it is not just a rich country, but one that also invests a lot in R&D (3% of GDP, as compared with Italy’s 1.4%), training and innovation. There are 435 researchers for every 100,000 inhabitants and 59.3 patents (as against Italy’s 197 and 14.2). Other factors include the high level and quality of the institutions and the low level of corruption. The country has a triple-A S&P rating, and in 2019 recorded a per capita GDP of 46,473 USD.

Germany’s foodservice industry demonstrated a constantly positive trend between 2010 and 2019, and ended last year with a turnover totalling 50.7 billion euros, generated by 71,300 operating restaurants. Factors leading to a rise in out-of-home consumption include the increase in tourism in the cities and in domestic travel generally, the expansion in catering and in the takeaway services offered by restaurants and the huge variety of different cuisines to choose from.

We asked Frank Wagner, president of FCSI Deutschland-Österreich, to give us a sense of how hospitality is doing and what should be done for the future.

“Hospitality has been hit very hard by the pandemic,” he says. “City hotels in particular have suffered. As home office and video conferencing are part of the new reality I think that city hotels need to adapt their services to that.”

Which of the various hospitality sectors have done best in 2020? “Bakeries, gelato and pastry have managed much better.”

As for equipment, in Germany Made in Italy “is a brand, especially in the foodservice industry.” The main export items “in our company experience are combi-ovens and dishwashing machines. But multi-functional appliances are also not bad”.