Gera. After a stroke of fate, the tourist restaurant was sold about a year ago. This is what the owner says about the new start that many have been longing for:
The provisional end of the "Kuckucksdiele" in autumn 2022 came suddenly and under tragic circumstances. Since the death of the long-time operator and owner, the traditional Gera restaurant with over 100 years of history has been empty. Since September 2023, however, there has been a ray of hope for the popular excursion restaurant in Heinrichsgrün.
The Gera innkeeper Spyridon Gkogkas, who has been running the "Oscar" restaurant on Humboldtstrasse since 2022, bought the "Kuckucksdiele", which was marketed by the Gera real estate company Weidener, with the aim of reopening it under the same name with traditional German cuisine. However, since this is now taking a little longer than originally hoped, our readers have recently been asking more and more questions about what will happen next.
Opening planned after the company holidays
We asked the innkeeper on the sidelines of the awarding of the "Star of Hospitality" for the "Oscar". "The building looks good from the outside, but a lot of work had to be done inside," he said, citing the underfloor heating as an example. In addition, there were longer delivery times and waiting times at construction companies.
When asked about an opening date, Gkogkas says, also with a view to his main store: "We have now done eleven months again and are looking forward to the company holidays." The family and the team are recharging their batteries throughout September. "And then we are planning the opening of the Kuckucksdiele for the first week of October."
Demand is already high, he is asked about it again and again and there are already some firm reservations. "One man told me that he celebrated his wedding here and now wants to celebrate his birthday again in the Kuckucksdiele," says Spyridon Gkogkas. When asked whether his team for the restaurant on Wilhelm-Herfurth-Straße is already in place, he says that the "most important employees are there," but reinforcements are always welcome.
On the History of the "Cuckoo's Diele"
First mentioned in 1915 in connection with a local allotment garden, "Meinhardts Gartenlokal" was expanded into a restaurant in 1936. The name "Kuckucksdiele" is said to go back to a regular customer at the time and has finally become common practice. In 1989, the last operators took over the family restaurant, and in 1999 they decided to tear down the old building and replace it with a new one. The latest talk was of a total of 200 seats inside and up to 100 seats outside, against the backdrop of the Gera city forest. In 2013, the restaurant was hit by flooding, and in 2015, the restaurant celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Quelle: OTZ
