Germany is talking about this restaurant: You can pay your bill by washing dishes

The village of Scharzfeld, located in Herzberg am Harz in the Göttingen district of Germany's Lower Saxony state, has become a topic of discussion in the German press.

Harzer Hof in Scharzfeld has adopted a different approach due to rising food, energy, and personnel costs, as well as a general labor shortage. According to a report in Artı49, the restaurant, which offers its customers a payment method of 'working in the dishroom' in addition to 'card' and 'cash', has attracted attention.

With this payment option, dubbed 'Rinse instead of pay,' guests can now pay for their restaurant visits by working in the dishroom.

Jennifer Ponath, heir to the Harzer Hof family business, explained the situation with the following words: "We often hear guests jokingly say: 'Let's see if I have enough money with me. Otherwise, I'll have to wash dishes!' We thought, why not?"

The restaurant's pricing policy is as follows:

Schnitzel with chips - 25 minutes of washing + 5 minutes if you change your order to French fries

Currywurst - 15 minutes of washing + 5 minutes for removing ketchup stains

Curried chickpeas - 20 minutes, including large pots

Every drink - +10 minutes extra

With this campaign, Harzer Hof in Scharzfeld primarily aims to draw attention to the challenges the sector is facing.

Jennifer Ponath stated, "Given the rising operating costs and labor shortages, we are testing a sustainable model for the future of the catering sector with dishwashing instead of payment."