The Deutsches Haus restaurant, located in Bldg. 544 on Ramstein, recently reopened after renovations.
“We were closed for about three months to get some of the interior done,” said Senior Master Sgt. Michael Chelius, manager of the Deutsches Haus. “The set up is a little different, we got an annex, a VIP room and a bigger side room. So we have more seats now, about 130. And of course we got new furniture, nice and modern.”
The outdoor area with a patio that will hold 35 seats is supposed to get done by July.
Deutsches Haus, or German House, is a restaurant run by the German Armed Forces. It is registered as an association in the official register of clubs and societies at the Zweibrücken local court, and as of Feb. 7, 1972, it is listed in the commercial register of the Ramstein-Miesenbach union community.
“As an association it is our intention to promote camaraderie and assist our members on and off duty,” Sergeant Chelius said. “We conduct cultural and social events such as barbecues, wine tastings, Christmas parties and membership raffles where members can win wonderful prizes.”
Members just pay an annual fee of €16 and can enjoy these events for free. As an association they are not allowed to make profits, everything goes right back to the members.
The Deutsches Haus association currently has 146 regular members and 315 associate members. Members have various other benefits such as a daily three-course menu costing €4.20 or special theme buffets.
The restaurant is open to everybody, not just members, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday.
A breakfast buffet is set up from 7 to 9 p.m. Lunch and dinner can be picked from a menu with various dishes. Guests should know that after the chefs receive the order, they prepare the food fresh from scratch.
“Right now our menu is not as big as usual since renovation works are still going on in the kitchen area. Once we have a new kitchen again by the end of July, we can serve our large variety of dishes again,” Sergeant Chelius said.
The Deutsches Haus also offers set ups for retirement ceremonies, farewells and other functions.
“When we conduct guided base tours for host nation groups, we like to stop at the Deutsches Haus for lunch or coffee and cake,” said Elke Sittel from the 86th Airlift Wing Host Nation Office. “We just make the reservation before, everything works out fine and the groups like it there.”
The restaurant staff consists of 18 Soldiers total, of which 10 are chefs working in the kitchen. The others wait on guests at the table.
“We hope to be able to run the restaurant like we did in recent years. It might get a little more difficult to get enough personnel in the future since Germany recently got rid of the draft,” Sergeant Chelius said.
Guests are encouraged to make reservations for lunch. The Deutsches Haus will only accept cash, dollars or euros. Credit cards are not accepted.
To make reservations or call in orders to go, call 06371-4659-3702 or 606-258-3702. The web site www.deutscheshausramstein.de is under construction at the moment.