The founder of the Vapiano and L’Osteria restaurant chains dies during a rally

Klaus Rader, restaurant entrepreneur, co-founder of the Italian restaurant chains L'Osteria and Vapiano, was also a passionate rally driver. He died on Friday, October 9, at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, according to local and German media. The vehicle he was driving left the road before plunging into a ravine, at kilometer 10. He was aboard car 000. He was responsible for opening the way before the competitors left.

His co-driver, Austrian Christina Ettel, suffered a serious spinal cord injury. The organizers ended the competition.

German entrepreneur Klaus Rader started from nothing. Or almost. In 1999, he founded a small restaurant with his friend Friedemann Findeis on a street in Nuremberg (Germany). Osteria was born. Then he also co-founded Vapiano in 2002 in Hamburg. The success story was launched, with nearly 200 and 150 restaurants around the world, respectively. In France L'Osteria (6 restaurants) is present in Lyon (4 restaurants), Paris and Le Plessis-Pâté in Essonne. Vapiano is present in Marseille, Paris, La Défense (two restaurants) and Bailly-Romainvilliers (Seine-et-Marne).

The Osteria group reacted on Instagram to the death of Klaus Rader, although he was no longer the majority shareholder of the group. “Klaus was a person who touched and inspired others with his energy, his lucidity and his passion. For many at L’Osteria, he was much more than a co-founder and a partner: a companion, a friend and a confidant. A true humanist, he always placed people at the heart of his entrepreneurial projects. His contribution to L’Osteria – and to all those who had the privilege of working with him – is invaluable. »