L’Osteria founder Klaus Rader dies at the age of 63 in a serious Porsche accident

L'Osteria co-founder Klaus Rader died in a rally accident on Mallorca on Friday at the age of 63. As the “Bild” newspaper reports, citing several close friends and a business partner, the entrepreneur veered off a mountain road in his Porsche GT3 RS during the “550 Challenge Mallorca” and fell into a ravine.

According to police, the accident occurred near Mortitx in the Serra de Tramuntana, between the towns of Pollença and Lluc. Any help came too late for Rader. His Austrian passenger and co-pilot Christina Ettel (39) suffered serious spinal cord injuries.

The exact cause of the accident is not yet known. The Spanish authorities have started an investigation into the accident.

From a small restaurant to an international catering chain

Klaus Rader was one of the founders of the L’Osteria restaurant chain, which has developed into an internationally represented gastronomy brand since the late 1990s.

Together with his business partner Friedemann Findeis (56), Rader took over a small Italian restaurant on Pirckheimerstrasse in Nuremberg in 1999. At that time the restaurant only had five tables. The concept relied on large pizzas, fresh pasta and a casual Italian atmosphere.

After the success of the first restaurant, the company initially expanded to Rosenheim, Regensburg and Munich. The business model was later expanded to include franchise partners. L’Osteria is now represented in several European countries.

In 2023, Rader and Findeis sold the majority of their company shares to a US investment company.

Rader only celebrated his wedding in Mallorca in June

The fatal accident occurred just a few months after a large wedding celebration between the entrepreneur and his wife Viktoria in Mallorca.

The couple met around 16 years ago through a mutual friend in the Munich club “Hugo’s”. The two married in a civil ceremony in 2010. They have four children together.

At the end of June 2026, Rader and his wife celebrated their wedding in the Alcázar de Artà on Mallorca. After around 16 years together, they celebrated their wedding there again.

As the “Bild” newspaper reported, Viktoria Rader spoke publicly in March 2026 about having experienced a total of five miscarriages.

In addition to his work as a catering entrepreneur, Klaus Rader was an enthusiastic motorsport enthusiast and took part in car rallies. He died at such an event in Mallorca.