New tenants have only just moved into the clubhouse restaurant of the Rot-Weiß Tennis Club in Gießen. Following renovation work, Bayram and Isabell Dalkilic had only been open for a few days – now they have been given notice to leave without notice by the club, reports the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The reason: the new tenants refuse to serve alcohol in the clubhouse restaurant.
They are reportedly required to give up the premises and vacate the flat they rented as part of the lease. The tenants and their three children would then be left homeless. “We can’t explain it,” Isabell Dalkilic told the newspaper. In several discussions with club representatives, they had explained that they did not wish to sell alcohol.
Moslemische Pächter in Tennisclub-Gaststätte weigern sich, Alkohol auszuschenken https://t.co/DzCIROnRxU
— Politikversagen (@staatsversagen) May 17, 2026
The couple, who run the restaurant, want to stick to their tried-and-tested concept and serve East Anatolian dishes – alcohol simply does not go with this cuisine, unlike with Italian dishes, for example. Furthermore, many sports enthusiasts bring their own drinks and, in some cases, food with them.
Some members of the club suspect that the decision not to serve alcohol is linked to the new tenants’ Muslim faith. The tenants deny this. Rather, they wanted to create a place for families, and serving alcohol simply does not fit in with that.
Both sides signed the lease agreement nonetheless. The club even covered the cost of a new bar counter. The chairman of the tennis club, however, told the newspaper ‘FAZ’ that he had left no doubt during the discussions that there was an expectation of freedom of choice between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
He also invokes customary law – even though this obligation is not expressly stipulated in the lease agreement. In Germany, he argues, it is customary to be able to drink alcoholic beer and wine in such establishments. The club has also rejected a compromise proposal from the tenants that beer and wine could be served in a kiosk outside the restaurant.
According to the regional manager for Central Hesse at the German Hotel and Restaurant Association, no similar case has been reported in a sports club to date. It is clear that more and more people are choosing not to drink alcohol, particularly younger people. This also applies to athletes, although many still like to celebrate a victory with a beer.
Furthermore, the taste of non-alcoholic beers, wines and sparkling wines has improved significantly in recent years. According to the ‘FAZ’, the association believes that guests must therefore have the choice of whether or not to drink alcohol.
Meanwhile, the club chairman no longer sees any chance of an amicable settlement: “There is no going back; the relationship of trust has been destroyed.”
If the tenants do not vacate the premises and the adjoining flat, an eviction order will be sought. As there is no precedent, the dispute could go all the way to the Federal Court of Justice.