Rudi Vogel, owner of Vogelbräu Karlsruhe, Ettlingen, Durlach

We have many football-loving guests, so showing the World Cup matches is naturally part of what we do. We have of course decorated with national flags and the like, but no special programme is planned. We are waiting to see what the response is like first.

Our advantage is that we have several different areas and can react very flexibly. We will of course show the Germany matches. Beyond that, a match will almost always be on somewhere in our venues. But there are certainly games that are not equally interesting for all guests. That is why we decide a lot of things situationally. We are close to our guests and let ourselves be guided by them to a certain extent. Anyone who wants to see a particular match can talk to us. Sometimes there is a discussion, but in the end a solution is always found.

After more than 40 years in Karlsruhe, I take a relaxed view of many things. I do not think it will make a big difference for us. Anyone who really wants to watch a match in company will still come later in the evening. Many kick-off times are at 10 p.m. That is later than usual, of course, but not completely unusual. After all, Champions League matches do not start until 9 p.m. either.

That is why I do not see a fundamental problem for our beer garden. What will be decisive is rather which teams are playing and how much interest there is in the respective match.

We are fundamentally prepared for occasional peaks in the beer garden. Drinks are not a big issue for us, because as a brewery we are stocked accordingly. With food, too, we plan in such a way that we can react well.

Of course it makes a difference which matches are coming up. If Germany reaches the semi-finals, for example, we stock up more heavily. From the round of 16 at the latest, we ramp up our planning.

We have around 150 seats inside and about 200 seats in the beer garden when fully occupied. If something runs out, then so be it — you should not be more Catholic than the Pope. We wait and see how things develop and adapt. That is basically how we always do it.

The closing time is of course an important issue, especially because of the late kick-off times. In principle, there are exemption rules for public viewing at this World Cup. The specific decision, however, lies with the municipalities.

The city of Ettlingen has already confirmed that for matches starting at 11 p.m. or later, we can stay outside until half an hour after the final whistle. For Karlsruhe, we are still waiting for the final decision.

We cannot influence the weather, of course. If it changes at short notice, things can get a little hectic. But we are fundamentally prepared for that.

Large parts of our beer garden are equipped with awnings that reliably protect against rain. This infrastructure dates back to the Corona period and helps us a lot today. The televisions are also protected accordingly. This allows us to react much more flexibly in changeable weather, and we do not have to move every match inside immediately.