If you don't eat here, you have to pay extra

At 12:21 p.m., the parking lot of the “Asia Restaurant Fang” is filled to capacity. It is mostly married couples who got out of the SUVs and station wagons who clearly retired a long time ago and don't look as if their eating habits would be influenced by the "Brigitte" diet. On this fresh February day, you head towards the entrance of the restaurant in the East Frisian town of Rhauderfehn near Leer, step in and are greeted by manager Zi Ye. "Hello, free choice of seats," says the wiry man in the black shirt to the guests and points to the tables with the 200 seats.

Fang is packed every lunchtime, and that's because of the all-you-can-eat buffet, where the family serves Asian delicacies: duck breast, sushi, fried vegetables, chicken, pork, beef in soy sauce. For dessert, there's ice cream, pudding, tiramisu and fruit, all fresh, says Mr. Ye. And that for only 12.80 euros.

It's probably a bit fuller than usual since the NDR introduced the restaurant in a report. The occasion is an unusual message with which the guests are greeted at the entrance. With a note, the restaurant manager warns each guest to eat what he has shoveled onto his plate. Otherwise, a fine of ten euros will be imposed – for the “waste of food”. The tempting offer of endless food had too often resulted in baked duck breasts, potatoes, fried bananas and vegetables ending up in the trash.

Fine for not eating? Is this still a legitimate fight for the planet's endangered resources (climate change!) or already abusive harassment (you finally paid!)? Dozens of television stations and newspapers called to inquire about the educational success of his threat, according to Ye.

The restaurateur has been living in Germany for twelve years. He says he is related to the chef, the actual boss. "Friendliness and respect" are important to him. But when a woman wouldn't even touch a plateful of food, he crossed a line. Ye asked them to pay a ten-euro "fine." She didn't pay, there was a scandal, and finally he banned the whole table from the house. "These people alone left 50 liters of rubbish behind," says Ye.

Others unabashedly unpacked their Tupperware and began to load the good food - obviously a misunderstanding of the "all you can eat" concept, which is limited to eating in the here and now. Ye enlightened them, since then people come without containers. The fine was meant as a stimulus for thought, he says, tapping his temple with his index finger. "Up until now, nobody had to pay anymore," he says.

The media hype has now become too much for the man. "We don't do any interviews and cancel all TV channels," he says. He spoke to the “Ostfriesen-Zeitung” – and he makes an exception for WELT AM SONNTAG. "We'd rather be humble, work and not advertise so much."

The restaurant has been around for a year and a half, he says. They opened in the middle of the Corona period, "there was nothing going on". But then the East Frisians would have quickly grown fond of the shop. "It just tastes good," says Ye.

However, the “all you can eat” principle has its disadvantages. "We have to throw away whatever's left over from the lunch and dinner buffets," says the manager. If someone fills his plate and leaves it untouched, this guest produces twice as much waste as there is on his plate. “We keep refilling the buffet,” says Ye.

The chairman of the Dehoga restaurant association in East Friesland, Erich Wagner, therefore rejects the concept entirely. “I find it dramatic that huge quantities are constantly being produced that are thrown away. It should also be about sustainability in gastronomy,” says Wagner.

He could only be surprised at the price. "There can't really be anything left, since the food prices alone have doubled in some cases." Wagner can understand the popularity of the guests. "There are still customers who pay attention to the amount of food and prefer to leave the restaurant full to bursting."

Ye counters in a market-oriented manner: "People want a buffet, so we offer it." He says goodbye to the last guests leaving the store at around 2:30 p.m. A man shakes his hand and laughs contentedly. "Was delicious again."