Rotkreuz, 11.10.2024

The restaurant ‘Zur Linde’ is closing, and its chef is moving to a mountain peak

The municipality of Risch is losing a popular restaurant: the Rotkreuz restaurant Zur Linde will close at the end of the month. But its head chef will still be serving customers - albeit at a new location.

For almost seven years, the Zur Linde restaurant characterised the townscape on the Lindenkreisel (roundabout) in Rotkreuz. But the Lindenmatt will soon no longer be the home of tenant couple Karin and Daniel Mätzener: ‘Friday 25th October will be our last normal day of operation,’ explains tenant and head chef Daniel Mätzener. But how did this come about? The restaurant, which opened in February 2018, was very popular with the people of Rotkreuz.

Lack of skilled labour and rising costs
There are many reasons for the closure,’ says the 49-year-old. On the one hand, the economic situation and rising costs are making it increasingly difficult to run the restaurant profitably. On the other hand, finding permanent specialised staff involves an enormous effort, which does not always lead to success. The coronavirus pandemic also played its part. All of these circumstances have now brought the tenant couple to their knees.

What does the end of the ‘Linde’ mean for the staff? ‘We haven't replaced any jobs since before the summer holidays. In the end, we only had two kitchen assistants and one person in service. We have managed to cover the rest with temporary staff,’ explains the head chef, who grew up in the canton of Schwyz. ‘Most of the employees have already found alternative work,’ continues Daniel Mätzener.

The tenants are still looking for suitable jobs for one kitchen assistant, one cleaner and one service employee. Over the past seven years, he and his wife Karin have employed more than 40 people.

Hosts with heart and soul
His wife Karin Mätzener is ‘the person on the front line and a passionate hostess’, especially at weekends. Over the years, she has always enjoyed socialising with guests. She also has a knack for decorating, took care of the bookkeeping and administration in the background. and provided support wherever she could. The 54-year-old also worked 60% for a pension fund in Zug - and will continue to do so after the closure.

Landlords Daniel and Karin Mätzener are giving up their restaurant on the Lindenkreisel in Rotkreuz 
They have invested a lot in their restaurant. Now, after almost seven years, they are calling it a day     
Head chef Daniel Mätzener is moving back to the canton of Schwyz   
The Zur Linde restaurant was still a building site: hosts Daniel and Karin Mätzener in summer 2017.   Photos: Stefan Kaiser
Daniel Mätzener will soon be cooking at the Gipfelstubli restaurant from December   Photo: zvg/Rotenfluebahn Mythenregion AG

 

The Mätzener couple are leaving the ‘Linde’ with a ‘laughing and crying eye’: ‘It was very emotional when we decided to take this step. The ‘Linde’ was our baby, which we were able to build up right from the start. We furnished it, decorated it and designed it the way we wanted. It really hurts to no longer have all that,’ continued Daniel Mätzener.

Cooking will continue in the Schwyz mountains
But we're also looking forward to having a little more freedom again - and above all to having free evenings together.’ The couple will use the time they have freed up to meet up with family and friends ‘and to go out to eat with all our restaurant colleagues’. The outgoing head chef adds: ‘The restaurant business has really become a tough place.’

But what will become of the ‘Linde’? The search for a successor has already begun, although a succession plan has yet to be finalised. But one thing is certain: ‘There will still be a restaurant,’ assures Jürg Ruf, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Quartimo 5 AG, based in Risch, which owns the property. It will, however, be some time before a new restaurant moves into Lindenmatt 14. ‘For us, the primary criterion is not time, but a successor solution that fits in well with the Lindenmatt neighbourhood and is an enrichment for the population of Risch/Rotkreuz,’ continued Jürg Ruf.

Which new restaurant will be run on the premises of the ‘Zur Linde’ restaurant in future is therefore still open. Daniel Mätzener's future is certain, however: a new challenge awaits him where he grew up. ‘I'm going to be head chef at the Rotenfluebahn’, he announced happily. From 1st December, the head chef will be working at the Gipfelstubli restaurant in the Mythen region.

What to do with my ‘Linde’ voucher?
Watch out! All those who still have a voucher from the ‘Linde’ in Rotkreuz - and can't redeem it by the end of October - can benefit from a special offer: guests who buy a ticket (return journey or day ski pass) from the Rotenfluebahn can redeem the voucher at the Gipfelstubli restaurant from 1st November to 15th December.

Note:
From 26th October to 3rd November, the tenant couple will still operate the Zur Linde trade fair restaurant at the Zug Trade Fair (Zuger Messe). After that, it's over for good.