How can you describe your restaurant in one to three sentences?

Michael: Rigatoni & Riesling is a living room with wonderful, fresh pasta and a great selection of wines.

Do you have a favorite spot on the Areal Böhler, a place you particularly like when it's not here?

Michael: Well, if it's not here, then it's at Dritan (Böhler Café). Because I just find it incredibly beautiful to sit there. You're sitting in the middle of it all, but the meadow also gives you a bit of a feeling of sitting in the countryside.

Have you ever taken part in any of our events? If so, how did you find them?

Michael: I've attended various trade fairs as a visitor and have always found them very exciting and the mix of events very interesting.

You've also had a stand at 'Kunst ab Werk' before, haven't you?

Michael: Yes, we didn't have a stand, but both times we had the catering outlets open during the days.

And do you notice that the audience is different?

Michael: Yes, you do notice that it's a different audience, i.e. the kind of people who come to the site for art ex works. But what we also notice is that the guests come back.

How would you describe the Areal Böhler in three words?

Michael: Industrial culture, event, leisure.

And why is the Areal Böhler the perfect place for your gastronomy, i.e. why did you choose this location?

Michael: I originally chose this location for the swimming pool here, which was a few years ago. And we were actually already in talks with Voestalpine in 2010, before it became an exhibition hall, about putting a flea market in there. We were actually already in agreement with Patric's predecessor at the time, but then fire safety came into play and we were out. But I said at the time that I thought it was really exciting what was happening here. Voestalpine had already announced a bit about what the path might be. And in the end, over there, but also here, the decisive factor for me was the mix of, on the one hand, industry, which is of course an exciting clientele for a daytime restaurant. The surrounding residential areas, of course, which are being created because it brings in new clientele and also generates a consumer clientele for us. The trade fair events, you actually have all the things here, or all the things come together here, that you need for a restaurant. You have a changing audience, you also have a regular audience. You have good accessibility. And that's what makes it so interesting for restaurants.

Do you perhaps have a special experience or anecdote during your time here as a tenant on the Areal? Has anything particularly funny or special happened?

Michael: Yes, I always find it quite funny, but it happens relatively often when certain things come together that don't really go together. When my old friend Tom Preuss is doing a gravel pit over there, but at the same time you see the family with children coming out of the restaurants here from brunch and you look into their sometimes slightly irritated eyes, I always find that quite funny when things like that come together. But apart from that, something specific, concrete, I'm not sure at the moment.

And do you perhaps have three things that you would like to see at the Areal Böhler in the future? In other words, what else should happen here, what should improve?

Michael: Well, what I would like to see is that we continue along this path and do even more in the areas of trade fairs and events, of course, because we benefit very, very much from that. I think it's very important that individuality is not lost. That this mix, which for me is a big part of the charm, is retained, that it doesn't become too mainstream. At the same time, of course, you also have to keep an eye on what kind of clientele we have living around us, because we are actually surrounded by two of the most expensive and interesting locations in a positive sense. That is Meerbusch and that is Oberkassel. And I think you have to take a lot of things into account if you want to have this public in the area. Because these are the people we ultimately live from. And they are the high earners from Oberkassel and, of course, also from Meerbusch. And I think we're on the right track here. Appealing to the audience and at the same time having this individuality. Because that's always what my experience in Düsseldorf shows. The bank manager and the dentist love trash. But when it's good. Because that's what they don't really get in their lives otherwise. And that's exactly what they look for in their free time.

Finally, do you have anything you would like to share with other tenants in the area? Tips or advice or perhaps for potential tenants?

Michael: So the current one? No, not at all. I don't presume to say that. But for potential tenants: Just take a walk around the Areal. Let it have an effect on you. I noticed when I came here that I very, very quickly had the feeling that I had arrived well. And that's still the case today. This is clearly due to the tenant structure here, because I felt really well received. But it's also down to the entire site management that's back there, the whole team that looks after the whole thing. You feel very well integrated here. That's nice. And I can only advise anyone to do that. Just go over here. Let it all sink in. And then I think you'll quickly feel very much at home here.