Two months after the German government lowered the VAT on restaurant meals from 19 % to 7 %, a recent data analysis shows that the savings have barely reached diners.
The study was carried out jointly by the editorial teams of the “Tagesspiegel”, the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”. Using order‑data supplied by payment provider Orderbird for the period from 1 October 2025 to 25 February 2026, they identified 2 749 restaurants nationwide. They also compared 190 restaurant menus that were publicly available on Google Maps to confirm the findings.
Only nine per cent of the restaurants in the sample actually lowered their prices after the tax change. Seventeen per cent raised them, while a clear majority-74 %-kept prices unchanged. The additional menu check produced roughly the same percentages.
In Berlin the picture is similar yet slightly more pronounced. Of the 346 restaurants analysed in the city, just 13 % cut prices. Only eight venues (2 %) passed on at least half of the VAT decrease to their patrons. Sixty‑eight per cent of the Berlin restaurants kept prices constant, and 19 % increased them.
Chefs explain the reluctance to lower prices by citing higher labour and food costs. According to the managers affected, the intent of the VAT reduction is to ensure “price stability” rather than to provoke further price rises.
