The new Brüggli restaurant cannot open yet, due to objections

Due to objections to the concept of Sandro Casaulta, the operator of the new Brüggli restaurant, the establishment will remain closed for the time being. The ball is now in the court of the city council.
 

Due to four objections from the neighbourhood of the Brüggli bathing area in the city of Zug, the newly designed Brüggli restaurant will remain closed indefinitely, says Daniel Schwerzmann, clerk of the Zug Corporation, in response to an enquiry. "We are very disappointed by this development. We wanted to create something nice for the people of Zug and invested a lot of money. Offering food and drinks is an essential part of that." They specifically sought a tenant who would cook on-site, and not just offer micro-waved or deep-fried food.

The objections primarily concern the operating concept of the tenant, Sandro Casaulta, who already ran the pop-up restaurant at the Brüggli. “The objectors want the restaurant to close at 8 pm, and to offer only 50 seats,” continues Daniel Schwerzmann. But the space for the establishment, which operates exclusively outdoors, was precisely defined from the outset. “Sandro Casaulta is now planning for a good 200 seats and operating hours until 10 pm.” After all, it’s only a fair-weather operation from April to October.

“Furthermore, I believe the objectors are unaware that a full-service restaurant provides greater security and social control in the area.” An unsupervised area is more likely to attract people who don’t consistently adhere to the night-time quiet hours.

The official handover of the site and its buildings to the city of Zug, planned for the end of April, will not yet take place. “But the sports pavilion with changing rooms will be opened during the month of May, as will the surrounding area,” adds Daniel Schwerzmann.

The new Brüggli restaurant was scheduled to open at the end of April. Various objections are preventing this, however
The sports pavilion with changing rooms and the surrounding area will open during the month of May
Photos: Matthias Jurt
Sandro Casaulta, the operator of the Brüggli restaurant          Photo: Roger Zbinden

Up to 3,000 people daily at the Brüggli site
The tenant, Sandro Casaulta, is also disappointed and disillusioned. When asked, he said: "I'm from Zug myself, and want to offer people a nice place where they could feel comfortable. It's a real shame that it can't opened as planned."

He estimates that the Brüggli site attracts up to 3,000 people on sunny days. "At four hectares, it's a very large area. It therefore needs a robust catering establishment." If he's only allowed to serve 50 people until 8 pm, he'll have to turn away many guests, and that's out of the question for him. “Furthermore, I’ve now adjusted all the furnishings and staffing levels to the concept of a full-service area and a self-service area. It would be unprofitable to deviate from that now.”

The idea is that beachgoers who just want to quickly buy a grilled sausage or a drink, and eat it on their towel, can purchase it at slightly reduced prices at the self-service counter. Guests who want to dine more formally can sit at one of the restaurant tables and be served. “We want to cook ourselves and offer regional dishes to complement the existing offerings, such as those at the Quai Pasa Buvette,” explained Sandro Casaulta.

He originally even applied to the corporation for opening hours until midnight. “But this was firmly rejected out of consideration for the neighbors. So we reduced them to 10 pm.” They plan to open as early as 9 am, in order to be able to offer a coffee to walkers and their dogs.

On his website, www.brueggli-zug.ch, the experienced restaurateur also mentions reservations for private parties. "While reservations are possible, you have to be prepared for the possibility that your event might not be able to take place due to it being a fair-weather establishment." It's therefore not suitable for weddings and the like, but rather for casual gatherings. A productive discussion has already taken place with one of the objecting parties, but no consensus was reached, says Sandro Casaulta regretfully. "We will certainly contact the other objectors as well and hope for a positive decision from the city council." He is doing everything he can to open the "Brüggli" as soon as possible.
 

Brüggli Joint Project
The redesign of the "Brüggli" bathing area at a cost of approximately CHF 12 million is a joint project of the Zug Corporation, the City of Zug, and the Canton of Zug.

A sports pavilion has been built to the west, housing restrooms, changing rooms, a stand-up paddleboard rental station, lockers, and storage areas. A restaurant pavilion, planned for the summer months, stands to the east.

In addition, the existing sandy beaches have been widened, and a new main connecting path has been constructed. The redesign of the pedestrian and bicycle underpass to the east, as well as the new cycle path with two bridges, are separate projects undertaken by the Canton, which were planned and executed in coordination with the construction project. Work on these projects is ongoing. According to the Department of Construction (Baudirektion), the cycle path will be completed in April 2027, and the underpass in May 2027.

The driving ban south of the railway tracks was introduced with the opening of the parking lot on the Chamerstrasse in the summer of 2024, thereby eliminating the former parking spaces at the Brüggli bathing area itself.