The renowned restaurant Lindenbräu, known for its Bavarian-Alpine cuisine, has extended its lease agreement at Center am Potsdamer Platz by a decade. With this decision, the family business affirms its long-term presence under the distinctive glass roof of the centre. The lease extension reflects a strategic alignment that includes ongoing investments in technical equipment, securing a long-established team, and increased flexibility in offerings and opening hours to adapt to changing market conditions.
This step follows a challenging period for the entire hospitality industry. Lindenbräu's business operations were initially affected by the coronavirus pandemic and subsequently by the extensive renovation phase as part of the revitalisation of the entire Center am Potsdamer Platz. Gregor Wunderlich, Managing Director of Lindenbräu, describes this phase as important but also very challenging, and emphasises his full support for the redesign of the centre.
The modernisation of the Center am Potsdamer Platz has created new opportunities that significantly contribute to Lindenbräu's confidence. The integration of a large, flexibly usable event space in the Forum continuously generates new attractions. This spectrum ranges from public viewings and art installations to fan zones for major sporting events. Mr Wunderlich highlights that the increased variety in the centre positively influences visitor frequency. He observes that guests are increasingly seeking a comprehensive "experience" where a restaurant visit is embedded in a larger event, creating a coherent overall picture. Lindenbräu particularly benefits from major events such as the Football World Cup through increased public visibility and brand activation. An increased frequency in the city around Potsdamer Platz due to events also benefits the catering establishments in the centre.
Current figures underscore this trend. The Center am Potsdamer Platz records around 7.1 million visitors annually, which corresponds to a daily average of approximately 19,500 people. During the public viewing for the Football World Cup alone, an average of around 2,500 spectators per game were registered in the event area and catering zones.
Lindenbräu's lease extension is part of a series of new settlements in the centre. In the catering sector, the offering was recently expanded to include KERB Berlin Foodhall and the Berlin cult brand Burgermeister. In the office segment, Superhuman (formerly Grammarly) and the soon-to-move-in OLX Group joined as new tenants. Benjamin Gschnell, Managing Director of Oxford Properties Deutschland, notes that the continuity of established concepts such as Lindenbräu forms a foundation, while the acquisition of new brands ensures an attractive mix that makes the location equally appealing to tenants, visitors, and investors.
Lindenbräu is supported by a stable foundation, comprising around 60 employees. Some of this workforce has been with the restaurant for over 25 years, underscoring the family business's emphasis on long-term employment relationships and a familial approach. Employee recruitment has rarely posed a challenge so far, and Mr Wunderlich looks optimistically to the future. Lindenbräu also functions as an active training company.
For the next ten years, Lindenbräu plans a structural adaptation to changed market conditions. Mr Wunderlich emphasises that factors such as inflation and altered demand behaviour, particularly regarding the times of day and seasons for restaurant visits, require greater flexibility in offerings and opening hours. He succinctly describes the unique character of the location: "It's the contrast: lots of steel and ingenious architecture. And then you step into a place of cosiness, quintessentially Bavarian and with a real living room atmosphere." With a roof terrace, a beer garden, and the alpine hut "Lindenalm", the restaurant claims to have Germany's lowest-lying alpine hut, at approximately 36 metres above sea level.
