The Degen restaurant is up for sale

Monika and Emil Girstmair have been running the "Degen" since 2008. The traditional restaurant in Hünenberg is now facing a major change. What are the reasons for the planned sale?

The Degen restaurant in Hünenberg has an eventful history. It was first mentioned in 1798 on a list drawn up by Napoleonic troops. In 1890, Jakob Gretener-Staub erected the Degen restaurant on the site where Peter Dägen's village inn had burnt down in 1883. To enable the building of a new restaurant on the site, it was moved to the other side of the Chamerstrasse in 1988 in a spectacular overnight action (with people still dining in the building as it moved), and was later donated to the Ballenberg Open-Air Museum in 1990, on the occasion of the centenary of the Swiss Innkeepers' Association. The original restaurant building was reopened in Ballenberg in 1991, and is still in operation there.

But the restaurant in the centre of Hünenberg is now facing a change: it is up for sale, as can be seen from an online advertisement on the gastro-express.ch website (we reported in June).

Emil and Monika Girstmair are thinking about their succession      Photo: Stefan Kaiser
The old Degen restaurant is still being run as a restaurant in the Ballenberg Open-Air Museum   Photo: Cornelia Bisch
Today's Degen restaurant
The "Degen" has a cosy atmosphere         Photos: Stefan Kaiser

Monika and Emil Girstmair have been running the "Degen" since 2008. What are the reasons for selling the restaurant at Chamerstrasse 9? When asked, Emil Girstmair says that he and his wife are due to retire in the foreseeable future. He is now 61 years old and wants to hand over the restaurant at an early stage. He has received many responses to the advert, explains the restaurateur, adding: "My wife and I are willing to carry on for a few more years." So the time has not yet come for Mr and Mrs Girstmair to say goodbye. Accordingly, the landlord does not want to say any more.

A meeting place in the village
The inn is known for its cosy, uncomplicated atmosphere and is a meeting place in the village. The landlord couple have always emphasised that they do not run a gourmet temple. It is simply about "cultivated enjoyment", according to the homepage. The cuisine is home-style and Swiss, with classics such as cordon-bleu on the menu, as well as fish and vegetarian dishes.

The advertisement for the sale states that the restaurant is doing very well, and the property is being sold as a condominium. The restaurant has 70 seats, plus a hall with another 70 seats and a smaller 'Stubli' room. The spacious garden terrace seats 120 guests. Children are also welcome at the "Degen" and there is even a small playground. When asked, Edi Portmann from Gastrocom Suisse GmbH, the company responsible for the sale, says that there are already interested parties, but nothing has been finalised yet.

The catering scene in Zug is currently undergoing radical change. Several long-standing landlords have closed down their operations in recent years, and more and more family businesses are being taken over by larger catering establishments. The "Platzmühle" pizzeria in Zug, for example, has been taken over by Remimag, and the Raten restaurant in Oberägeri will go into their hands in the autumn.

It will be interesting to see what happens next at the traditional Degen restaurant. For the time being, however, nothing will change for guests - at least for a few more years.