Germany's second-largest food channel after retail, with operators under cost pressure and open to time-saving products. Covers channels, distributors, access rules and a directory of importers.
The German out-of-home market is the second-largest sales channel for food in Germany after grocery retail: in 2025, consumers spent around €88.6 billion on food and beverages away from home, about 2% more than the previous year and around 7% above the 2019 level. Nominal growth, however, masks the sixth consecutive year of real, inflation-adjusted declines. Operators are under strong cost pressure, guests are unusually price-sensitive, and buyers are accordingly open to products that reduce food costs, save kitchen labour or enable a higher-margin position on the menu.
For foreign suppliers, one structural fact is decisive: German HoReCa operators almost never buy directly from the foreign manufacturer — 90 to 95% of volume flows through wholesalers and importers. Market entry is therefore decided by a listing with a wholesaler, not by selling to the kitchen. At the top are METRO, Transgourmet/Selgros, CHEFS CULINAR and EDEKA Foodservice; below them, buying groups such as Service-Bund, INTERGAST and TIFA bundle several hundred regional wholesalers and are often the more realistic entry point for newcomers. This study sets out market figures, channel structure and access requirements for EU and non-EU suppliers along this logic, and includes a directory of German importers and foodservice wholesalers.
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