Outdoor catering in Aachen: focus on quality and design
Outdoor gastronomy is an important part of Aachen's cityscape and makes a decisive contribution to how both residents and visitors feel on the city's streets and squares. Attractively designed outdoor catering, paired with a diverse and varied offering, is therefore an important quality feature. The quality, size, layout and, in particular, the design of the outdoor areas used for catering play a central role.
News and events
Survey on outdoor catering in Aachen - results are online
A survey was carried out from the end of January to mid-March 2025, which was aimed at catering businesses in Aachen. Many thanks to everyone who took part and actively contributed to updating the guidelines!
You can find the results of the survey here.
Joint walks in fall 2024
As part of the updating of the guidelines for outdoor catering, two walks took place on October 7, 2024, in which representatives of Aachen's restaurants, the Senior Citizens' Council, the Commission for Barrier-free Building, politicians and the administration took part. The walks were accompanied by Rehwaldt Landscape Architects from Dresden. The aim was to engage in on-site discussions and gather opinions and ideas for the further development of the guidelines.
City of Aachen
City of Aachen / Andreas Herrmann
Updating the guidelines for outdoor catering
The legal framework for outdoor catering is regulated in Section 8 of the current special use statutes. In addition, the "Concept for outdoor catering" has provided recommendations for an attractive and high-quality design of outdoor catering since 2003. The aim of these guidelines is to maintain the high quality of public spaces, particularly in the historically significant areas around the cathedral and the town hall, but also in the districts of Kornelimünster and Burtscheid.
The "concept for outdoor catering", which is now 20 years old, is now to be further developed in order to define new guidelines for outdoor catering. This process includes dialog with catering businesses and sensitive user groups such as senior citizens and people with disabilities. The aim is to jointly develop fair and transparent regulations that meet today's requirements and needs.
The focus is on the city center, while no changes are planned in the districts of Kornelimünster and Burtscheid for the time being.
The process is being supported by the landscape architecture firm Rehwaldt from Dresden. This collaboration is intended to ensure that both aesthetic and functional requirements are taken into account and - also through the view from outside - that the outdoor gastronomy is harmoniously integrated into the cityscape.
Advice for restaurants
The City of Aachen's "Urban Renewal and Urban Design" and "Special Use" departments offer free advice on all questions relating to the approval and design of outdoor catering. In this context, we would like to jointly develop practical solutions that will help to implement the ideas of restaurant operators in the best possible way and to preserve and further promote the high quality of public spaces in Aachen.
In our "Tischlein deck dich!" flyer, you will find valuable examples and tips on how you can actively contribute to creating an attractive city center - especially in the sensitive area of the old town. Further information can be obtained in a personal conversation with the named contact persons as well as in the service portal of the City of Aachen.