The traditional Öpfelchammer restaurant in the old town is closing immediately

It took a lot of courage to immortalize yourself in the traditional Zurich restaurant “Öpfelchammer”. But whoever managed to climb over the beam in the room and also down a glass of wine while doing gymnastics in the air was granted a rare honor: he or she was allowed to hang on the walls or furniture of the over 200-year-old restaurant on Rindermarkt 12 immortalized in Niederdorf.

Now no daring reveler will be able to reach this original Zurich consecration any time soon. As hosts Thomas Trautweiler and Christian Gretener write in a statement, the traditional restaurant is closing “immediately” and “unfortunately forever”.

The two innkeepers took over the “Öpfelchammer” in 2019, “brilliant,” as they put it themselves. We have managed to be present in many people’s minds again. Despite the “high sales rent”, considerable demand was generated.

But the pandemic years, renovations during ongoing operations and an “indicated rent increase” by the property owner have meant that “we cannot continue the restaurant business to cover our costs”.

This realization has been reached in the last few weeks. “The challenging times of the pandemic and the resulting mountain of debt destroyed our reserves,” the entrepreneurs continue. «We extremely regret the end of business activities. We’re sorry.”

In their statement, the restaurateurs blame the owner of the property for their failure. They would have had to pay rent throughout the pandemic. Renovations were announced at very short notice.

The building has been owned by the Himstedt family for over seventy years. Horst Michael Himstedt and his daughter Karin Henner-Himstedt ran the restaurant until 2019 and then handed it over to Thomas Trautweiler and Christian Gretener. The current property owner Michael Himstedt, who runs an investment advisory and asset management business for “wealthy private customers and institutional investors” at the same address, did not want to comment to the NZZ for the time being on whether and when the restaurant should be leased out again.

The debts accumulated in 2020 and 2021 could not be repaid, the restaurateurs write, indicating a financial bottleneck. They already know today “that we cannot meet all of our obligations and that this will cause disappointment.”

They also seem to perceive a certain level of complicity among the guests. After reopening, business developed slowly. “For a long time, the public was not prepared to sit down at the table in a friendly manner.” The two restaurateurs did not respond to inquiries from the NZZ.

A place with legends

There are many legends surrounding the restaurant with the magnificent tavern sign. The “Öli” is said to have been Gottfried Keller’s regular pub. His portrait is still emblazoned on the house facade today. Legend has it that after an evening of drinking in the “Öpfelchammer” he slept through his inauguration as state secretary.

However, this is probably a fairy tale. Keller mentioned the restaurant neither in his writings nor in his letters. In his works, Keller named other Zurich restaurants where he frequented, including the guild houses “Saffran” and “Zimmerleuten” as well as the inns “Gambrinus”, “Café Zürcherhof” and “Pfauen”.

The name “Öpfelchammer” probably comes from the time when monastery women stored fruit on the property. It wasn’t until the middle of the 19th century that the restaurant on the first floor was named that way. In Keller’s youth – he grew up opposite – the bakery of “Pfister” Kaspar Denzler offered its famous onion tarts in the “Zum Judenhut” house.

The restaurateurs also failed elsewhere

Gretener Gastro also ran the Badi-Kiosk and the “Iisdörfli Rüschlikon”. Neither will be continued. The municipality of Rüschlikon had already informed in July that the two restaurateurs no longer wanted to continue operating the “Iisdörfli” after one season due to the “very high operating costs” for the ice rinks.

The end is bitter for the community: it had provided initial funding of 80,000 francs to make the project possible. It also provided the space including infrastructure worth 72,000 euros. Nevertheless, there was a deficit at the end of the season.

The local council even offered the restaurateurs to support the project for two more seasons under the same conditions because it provided added value for the village community. Nevertheless, Gretener Gastro canceled. The community even incurs follow-up costs: it contributes 40,000 francs to “handling the demolition of the project” – and is disappointed about the outcome.

In Zurich, it’s not just the locals who miss the “Öpfelchammer”. Because of the long tradition and the “beam test”, the pub was also often visited by tourists. Zurich Tourism regrets the closure. “We have recommended a visit to the “Öpfelchammer” to our guests from near and far,” says spokesman Michael Müller. “The ambience and history are unique, and the regional cuisine was also very popular.” Now a piece of Zurich tradition is being lost.