Restaurant savior Tim Rauhe "I don't have time to deal with people"

On a mission and in an emergency: in the RTL show "Raue - Der Restaurantretter", celebrity chef Tim Raue and his wife Katharina once again take on restaurateurs who would soon be out of business without help.

His name stands for high cuisine: and yet Tim Raue from Berlin is not above lending a hand - and passing on his expertise in the restaurant business to colleagues.

There is a lot to learn from the two-star top chef. For example, how to work your way up with discipline and ambition and how to get out of self-inflicted problems.

In an interview with his wife Katharina, who is on hand with advice, action and expert knowledge for five new rescue missions, he tells us what culinary (near) disasters we can look forward to in the five new episodes of the TV series "Raue - Der Restaurantretter".

It starts on Tuesday, July 16, with emergency work in the "Hollwigger Bistrorant" in Cologne. The TV channel RTL will broadcast the new season every Tuesday at 8:15 pm.

Tim and Katharina Rauhe, you are both starting new restaurant rescue programs. What do you think: do these kinds of shows make people want to go out and eat again? Or does it increase concern about how wild it sometimes looks behind the scenes?

Tim Raue: Our approach is not to test or recommend restaurants, but to save them. That's why the name of the show was changed some time ago. We are interested in restaurateurs who are sometimes really up to their necks in problems that often seem diverse and yet are somehow always the same.

Even as a layperson, you can often tell when you walk into a restaurant that something might be going really well or not so well. How important is it to have this instinct?

Katharina Raue: As a guest, you go to a restaurant to have a good time. It's important that you have a good time and that you feel good about it. A lot depends on the atmosphere in the restaurant. It is aptly said that the fish stinks from the head down.

What do you mean by that?

Katharina Raue: You quickly realize: is the restaurant working or not? Our job is to get this boss's head back on straight and move forward. If a chef is really passionate about his restaurant, then the guests can sense that. And then they're likely to overlook the little things - for example, if the service team isn't quite up to speed yet or perhaps an order has been forgotten. The important thing is that I enjoy sitting here.

Tim Raue: All the restaurateurs that we have helped, motivated, inspired and supported in these five episodes have one thing in common: they have accumulated problems that have created a kind of chaos in their heads.

Oh dear, tell us ...

Tim Raue: It doesn't necessarily have to be the case that you open a door and end up in a restaurant that is dirty or at least very dusty. We have found that: The darkest place is usually the cellar. Clutter and garbage pile up there. But the biggest problem can also be the cold store.

Places that guests don't usually get to see.

Tim Raue: But that's where things often get serious. We are only on site for a week at a time - not a year. What's more, we are not a consulting agency: we try to do as much as possible in this short time. I want to pull the grey curtain of their problems from their faces and highlight the positive aspects. I'm always concerned with the question: how can we help restaurateurs overcome their weaknesses and how can we make their strengths even more visible?

Sounds good. But you have to see that something is progressing, don't you?

Tim Raue: Although the cameras are there, we don't do our work from the point of view that we make television and then leave again after a week. No matter what happens: I really want to help people - to motivate and inspire them. My aim is for people to feel better and to be beaming when we leave after a week. So far, this has almost always worked.

Katharina Raue: We take a few photos for ourselves privately from time to time. You can then clearly see what the faces look like on the first day - and what they look like a week later. The gray veil is gone. Then you realize that new perspectives have opened up. Suddenly what people are passionate about is back.

It's a nice effect.

Katharina Raue: We are very proud of that: we open doors. But the restaurateurs have to go through and live the change themselves. And they can do that.

Tim Raue: Most of them at least (laughs).

Katharina Raue: Of course, there are also cases where we have a wonderful idea for the store. At least we both think so. But the restaurateur still doesn't do it. But it's his or her life. We can only advise him or her what we would do. We're not interested in patronizing people.

Would you ever have thought that part of your job as a restaurateur from time to time is almost being a psychologist, a kind of team coach or maybe even a confessor sometimes?

Tim Raue: I'm definitely not a confessor. But you learn very quickly when you take on responsibility that it's about leading other people, guiding them and pushing them forward. I learned that early on in my life.

How exactly?

Tim Raue: I took the training aptitude test straight after my apprenticeship at the age of 21.

Where did your motivation come from?

Tim Raue: I wanted to do better in future what I experienced during my apprenticeship that I didn't like so much. I've been training people since I was 21. That means I always have young people at the start. It's part of my everyday life. One challenge with "Restaurant Rescuer" is that I tend to deal with older people. They like to come up with the classic: we've always done it this way!

Your answer?

Tim Raue: Then I have to tell people: that's exactly what got you to where you are today - a dead end. And an economic one, as well as a human one. I'm glad that I'm not doing this job alone. My wife is an important supporter for me because her basic attitude to life and work is always extremely positive.

And yours?

Tim Raue: I'm someone who tends to be very detail-oriented and pays attention to the finest detail. I want to put something big together from that. My wife is much more empathetic. She is usually quicker to connect with people.

Many people starting out in their careers are obviously quickly disappointed when they realize what a tough profession they have chosen - with many limitations. For example, the fact that you have to work when your friends are away.

Tim Raue: I don't know of any experiences like that. But I also have to say that the people who apply to work in my main restaurant have so much intellect that they have researched what they are getting into beforehand. It would be like saying: I like playing football - from tomorrow I'll be playing for a Champions League club. Everything I do - including what we're doing now with "Restaurant Rescuer" - I always do with the aim of leaving something better behind, getting ahead, being successful. I don't have time to deal with people who complain, moan or simply want to argue about the facts.

That strict?

Tim Raue: I've never been interested in complaining. That's why it's not part of my life. I've always seen the opportunity in the work. And I think that access to work is completely misunderstood in today's society.

What do you mean by that?

Tim Raue: Social interaction only works if everyone does something for it. That means that everyone works, everyone pays taxes and everyone contributes something to society.

However, you do get closer to each other in a restaurant than you might sometimes do in a large office, where you can perhaps withdraw or duck away in one corner or another.

Katharina Raue: Of course, gastronomy is a people profession. You have to deal with colleagues, but also with customers and guests. A misanthrope would honestly be in the wrong place.

Tim Raue: But you would also be a misanthrope if you tried to work as a psychiatrist.

Katharina Raue: Of course, the kitchen is very busy when it's service time. That means you can't duck away. You have to perform - and you have to do so for every task. If you want to play, you have to be able to play. That's just the way it is.

Tim Raue: When we talk about service, we're talking about the time we spend preparing food. And the service outside, i.e. the waiters and waitresses. They are entertainers for the customers. It's about being there for the people who come to us and giving them a great time. Catering is a profession where you do something for and with people. For me, it's one of the most social professions. For me, it's only topped by the health and care sector.

Katharina Raue: I was editor-in-chief of a magazine and you are also a journalist. So you know what a deadline means.

Of course I do.

KatharinaRaue: Service works like this: it's five minutes before the deadline - and the cover story hasn't been written yet. This feeling is service.

Uncomfortable ...

Tim Raue: (Laughs) That's a nice expression. And this feeling of panic for four hours at a time - depending on where you work.

Katharina Raue: Three minutes before going to press, someone says again: "By the way, the cover photo is pixelated and unusable. It's like when a guest orders the menu and everything goes their way. And suddenly he says: By the way, I'm allergic to fish.

What happens to you today? How do you relieve stress peaks at such short notice, do you then shout loudly into a cutlery drawer?

Tim Raue: Fortunately, I don't do that any more.

Instead?

Tim Raue: My recipe is to simply go out. I storm out into the courtyard and kick a dustbin. But only if the valve really needs to be opened. It now takes me a very, very long time to even get that feeling going. I'm just too old for that now. I know how to deal with problems.

Katharina Raue: (Laughs) At the age of 50, you've become wise and mellow.

Tim Raue: The last time I wanted to shout into a drawer was when we were filming for "Restaurantretter".

Oh yeah, that bad?

Tim Raue: But that's usually because I find things there that are simply abstruse.

For example?

TimRaue: We were in this bistro in Cologne. The boss there had a more or less half-open office. I spent hours tidying it up.

Hands-on.

Tim Raue: He had over two dozen boxes and cartons with paper thrown into them. Unfortunately, they were invoices and important documents. Then I think to myself: "Dude, you have no idea what you have to do anymore.

Bitter.

Tim Raue: And unfortunately not an isolated case. The tax consultant told me that he hadn't been able to do a business analysis for ten months because the restaurateur simply hadn't given him the paperwork. Or the shock when I walked into a kitchen: It was five square meters in size - and there are 72 dishes on the menu. It's like having a car with five seats. And there are 37 people standing in front of it wanting to get in. That's not possible. Not possible.

Katharina Raue: I always like to ask the question: Who is your target group? And when the answer is, actually everyone anyway - from children to hipsters, from couples enjoying a romantic dinner to senior citizens, then you know: This restaurateur has lost his way. And he or she really needs help.

Tim Raue: The gastronomic compass is stuck in the Bermuda Triangle of the cellar or the trashed office. And the head is simply no longer clear.

But what do you actually do when you are presented with food that is almost inedible: how do you get out of the situation diplomatically without ruining your stomach?

Katharina Raue: (Laughs) We are both very honest in what we say and what we do. That's why we'd be the first to say: Something didn't work out - you can't eat that.

Tim Raue: But it has always turned out for me that it was almost never the food itself that was the problem. The problem was that they lost sight of the goal in the kitchen. If people want something local in the neighborhood kitchen, you can't come along with chicken curry or pizza with gyros on top.

Creepy ...

Tim Raue: Then it's really about streamlining the program. Getting everyone on the same page. And to introduce them to the principle I have in mind by visiting other businesses. We go back four to six weeks after our first on-site visit.

Katharina Raue: It's a moment that I often dread. But usually the anticipation is also great.

Tim Raue: This time we can say that all the businesses were better positioned and better utilized than before, and some of them are now working really well. And we were welcomed with open arms everywhere. People were often really looking forward to seeing us.

Can you actually get accident insurance for your stomach?

Tim Raue: It would be nice. But I've eaten on all five continents. And even after shopping at weekly markets like Mexico, I've got out without any problems. But you mustn't forget: These are people who work with food - and often with highly perishable goods. There are also nasty things on the go - like the norovirus - you can't see them, you can't smell them, you can't taste them. And then they catch you. But in the "Restaurant Rescuers" series, I see the cold stores, I see the food and then I'm relatively relaxed. For me, the most important things are always order, cleanliness and discipline! I think that's the basic structure.

A clear message.

Tim Raue: So far, life has proved me right. When I meet someone who is chaotic, who has a little messy place somewhere - as I said, the basement or even the office are very popular - that's always an indication to me that something can't be right. And I then have to resolve these excessive demands.

Can't you sometimes get in your own way with too much ambition - if you lose yourself in over-precision when it comes to details?

Tim Raue: For me, that doesn't exist. I say quite clearly: if you really want to be successful, you have to pay attention to every detail. If I come into a store where that's not the case, I immediately start tidying up, organizing and making sure that I can secure the basic structure again. My wife, on the other hand, immediately takes care of the human element. That's why we work so well as a team. It really is teamwork, it's the only way we have a chance of making a real difference in a week.

If you spend all day professionally dealing with food and reviewing dishes, do you even manage to get a bite to eat in the evening?

Katharina Raue: We love food. Food is part of the basic structure of our lives. When we plan a vacation, we also plan the restaurants. Nothing would work for us without food. But that doesn't mean that we necessarily have to be in the kitchen ourselves. We try to support restaurants by visiting them - or by having them delivered to us.

Can you eat at all without immediately thinking about how it was done and what could be improved?

Tim Raue: I like to enjoy myself. But that doesn't mean that I can't notice in a restaurant, for example, that the rooms would benefit from a few carpets to dampen the sound. Or that the font size on the wine list could be a little bigger. That's not manic. And I don't have to tell people that either. But it's just stuff we like to talk about over a meal. Other people are very sporty. They also say to themselves: Look what calf muscles he has. Let's do another 200 squats tomorrow!

You take friends off your friends list if they secretly change a spice in your home when they haven't looked.

Tim Raue: Yes, we don't have that problem (laughs). We don't have any friends at home.

Don't you?

Tim Raue: Our home is actually our home. For us, it's the place where we can retreat. You need that when you're in the public eye. And I, for example, am a very shy person. Home is the last fortress. When we meet our friends, we go out to eat with them or visit them at home.

You can understand that. But nobody believes you about being shy,

Tim Raue: That's true.

Katharina Raue: He really is shy. Just because he has an exalted personality, he's still an incredibly introverted person. Tim definitely doesn't draw his energy from other people. He draws it from being quiet when he's at home. Many people underestimate this, of course, because he has an appearance that is radiant and very powerful - and occasionally slightly dominant.

Tim Raue: It's true: I would never approach strangers, for example. I'm very reserved. Asking someone for directions actually cost me 48 years of my life. It makes a difference whether I'm Raue, the chef, and have to perform for the camera. As Tim, I'm someone who doesn't want to be recognized.

But now you're not saying that you secretly collect stamps?

Tim Raue: Not that at all.

Katharina Raue: The only thing we collect is quality time for both of us. But apart from that, I'm afraid we have to disappoint you: I'm a Messi and like to collect everything we don't need - unlike my husband.

Tim Raue: I then tidy it all up again.

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