I'm trying everything to make sure we can reopen

The restaurant in Oberwil has been closed since mid-January and the doors were sealed by the Zug bankruptcy office in February. Behind the closure: a health emergency on the part of tenant Philipp Röthlin. The restaurant is expected to reopen soon, however.

It was a promising new start in June 2021, after the end of the Corona lockdown: the Rigiblick restaurant in Oberwil on the shores of Lake Zug was to become a high-class establishment, with selected wines, fish and shellfish on the menu after the restaurant re-opened under the management of Lucerne restaurateur Philipp Röthlin (We reported on 24 March 2021).

But barely two years later, operations had to be stopped abruptly: the 52-year-old suffered an aortic tear in January 2023. "I was very lucky that the tear was discovered in time, and I had to go to hospital as an emergency," says the man from Udligenswil. He spent two weeks in intensive care, and then went to Davos for rehabilitation. He only returned to Lucerne a few weeks ago.

Lucerne restaurateur Philipp Röthlin shortly before the opening of the "Rigiblick"
The lake-side front of the restaurant                        Photos: Stefan Kaiser

The operation of the "Rigiblick" couldn’t be maintained without him. “There were only two of us running the restaurant in the winter, the cook in the kitchen and me at the front," says Philipp Röthlin. So the restaurant remained deserted, and Röthlin's cook moved to Zurich by mutual agreement after the closure - and the restaurant was also sealed by the bankruptcy office in February 2023.

Reopening in April
Is it definitely over now? Philipp Röthlin denies this. He was unable to pick up the registered letters because he was in Davos, which is why bankruptcy proceedings were automatically opened. But Philipp Röthlin is not worried about that: "That will be settled. I'm in contact with the bankruptcy office, and I will cancel the bankruptcy and pay the outstanding debts."

And the restaurant should reopen in mid-April - provided the necessary staff can be found, as Philipp Röthlin emphasises. He is currently looking for one person for the kitchen and one for service. "It's not ideal, but it's possible for this time of year. There will have to be more people in summer, when it's busier."

He himself has to cut back a bit, not least because of his aortic tear. In addition, he also has to look after his main business, the Frohsinn restaurant in Udligenswil. "It would be ideal if I could run the 'Rigiblick' with a partner," he says.

And if no one suitable can be found? "The question is, how long I can pay the rent," says Philipp Röthlin. But for him it’s clear: the story of the 'Rigiblick' should continue. "I don't want the restaurant to be closed for too long. The 'Rigiblick' is very close to my heart," he says. It has been a great journey since 2021. Especially in the summer, guests came in large numbers, while the winter season was still being built up. "I'm trying everything to make sure we can open again."