The rumours had been circulating for some time. The City of Gladbeck and the current operator of Rathaus-Café Schwarte have now confirmed the municipality’s purchase of the property at Willy-Brandt-Platz. Mayor Bettina Weist explains the city’s reasons: “Rathaus-Café is one of the most popular and long-established places to eat in our city. The commercial building has housed a restaurant for more than 100 years. With its distinctive façade, it is a landmark at Willy-Brandt-Platz and in our city centre. We bought the property to ensure that high-quality food and drink businesses can continue to operate there.”

The city’s proposal to purchase the property was unanimously approved at a closed meeting of the Economic Development and Building Committee on 30 November 2023. As with all property transactions, the purchase price is confidential. The sale was prompted by the Schwarte couple’s decision to retire from the restaurant business in autumn 2024 for reasons of age and health. A restaurant has operated at the site, directly opposite the historic town hall, since 1908. The Schwarte family has run the long-established café for two generations. “Closing Café Schwarte brings a very important chapter of our lives to an end, so saying goodbye is difficult. We are therefore very pleased with the city administration’s commitment to preserving a high-quality food and drink offering,” the couple say of their retirement.

Peter Breßer-Barnebeck, Head of Economic Development and Property Management, explains the purchase: “Rathaus-Café belongs to our city and is an important part of Gladbeck’s food and drink scene. By purchasing the commercial building, we want to create the conditions for high-quality hospitality to continue at this prominent location. Our aim is to find a new tenant to continue the café-restaurant in the tradition of Rathaus-Café Schwarte.”

The property was sold to the City of Gladbeck in cooperation with commercial property broker Brockhoff. The city’s economic development team and Brockhoff have already begun discussions with potential operators. Restaurateurs with strong concepts are still welcome to join the process. “Alongside a café, I can also imagine an offering that adds to the variety of restaurants around Rathausplatz. We see particular potential in Gladbeck for upscale German cuisine,” says Julia Winteroth, who is responsible for marketing the property at Brockhoff, describing possible future uses.

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About Brockhoff

Brockhoff GmbH is one of Germany’s leading commercial real estate brokerages and the market leader in the Ruhr region. The owner-managed company, based in Essen, was founded by Eckhard Brockhoff in 1987. With more than 35 years of experience in the property industry, it has extensive expertise in marketing properties across OFFICE, INVEST, RETAIL and LOGISTICS. Its services include the nationwide sale of office and investment properties, office lettings focused on the Ruhr region, brokerage of retail properties in prime 1A locations in small, medium-sized and major German cities, and the letting and sale of logistics properties. In 2021, ADOMO Beteiligungs GmbH acquired a 41% stake in the company.