Shock for Königswinter: Sarah's Café is closing after just six years!

Shock for Königswinter: Sarah's Café is closing after just six years!

The sisters Sarah Schell (28) and Aileen La Valle (30) will close their popular café in Königswinterer Bahnhof on June 29, 2025. The decision comes in the context of both personal and economic challenges. In particular, high personnel costs and rising purchasing prices are making the operation increasingly unprofitable. Sarah's Patisserie and Café opened in June 2019 and was a two million euro project that had recently raised high hopes.

The operators have stated that the quality of their products, particularly animal products, continues to be of great importance. Nevertheless, they had to realize that numerous experimental approaches such as theme days, workshops and expanded restaurant offerings were not in line with their passion project. Aileen La Valle in particular plans to look after her family more intensively after the birth of her child, while Sarah Schell would like to reduce her work as a master pastry chef in the future in order to do less office work.

Background and future plans

The Königswinter train station already had an eventful history before the sisters opened their café. The property was known as a problem property for a long time. After being purchased in 2004, the building was decommissioned in 2012. A sale in 2013 to a real estate company aimed to integrate job centers into the premises. In 2014, the station forecourt was redesigned for 1.3 million euros.

In 2017, Oliver Schell, the father of the two sisters, took over the building and initiated extensive renovation work. The café opened in 2019 and was met with great interest. However, the upcoming closure is seen as a major setback for the city of Königswinter and the old town as a whole. However, the city administration is optimistic and hopes for a new use for the former Sealife building, while the city council is planning a crucial meeting for the Explorado group next week.

The sisters say they are seriously considering the possibility of selling the building once a new location for baking is found. However, it is considered utopian that the premises could be rented without an integrated bakery. Despite these challenges, they look to the future with hope and plans for a smaller café in Königswinter.

You can find more information about Sarah’s Patisserie on her website: sarahs-konditorei.de.