Stephans-Stuben in Neu-Ulm on the road to success

NEU-ULM: Just under a year and a half after opening his Stephans Stuben, Marco Langer has drawn a positive conclusion about the development of his restaurant. Just six months after opening, the first reviews in the restaurant guides put Stephans Stube in one of the top places in the restaurant rankings for Ulm and Neu-Ulm. This was followed by a 3.5 toque rating in the Great Guide, as well as excellent results in the Schlemmer Atlas and the Varta Guide. This was followed by seven pans in Gusto and a one-page portrait in Der Feinschmecker magazine. Marco Langer is particularly proud of the inclusion in the Michelin Guide. This means that Stephans Stuben has already achieved a number of points in the restaurant rankings that neighbouring Michelin-starred restaurants achieve. Marco Langer is working towards this and hopes to become the first Michelin-starred restaurant in the city.

Marco Langer and his team, consisting of sous chef Patrick Schiemann, restaurant manager and sommelier Fabian Klosterberg and a trainee, work with passion and dedication. The restaurant's concept is based on the philosophy "Here, friends cook for friends". Marco Langer personally serves snacks, greets guests and explains the dishes. "We are a small team. My philosophy: Here, friends cook for friends! Each of my employees comes to work as if they were meeting up with friends, without fear or great pressure. It should be nice and you have to feel good. That's the only way you can perform so well every day," says Marco Langer, describing his approach. Thanks to the structure and system in the kitchen, he manages well with his 40-hour working week.

He serves the snacks to all guests personally and also answers any questions at the end. "It feels like a dream every evening in the restaurant, so many compliments and great feedback. Sometimes it's really hard to get to sleep because of all the joy," says Marco Langer. As the team is still so small, he can't change the menu as often as he would like. There is currently a new menu every two months so that he can offer seasonal products. "I always make menus according to the season and the produce available, and only then do I add fish or meat," says Marco Langer, describing his approach.