Widder bar in the old town reopens

Its glory days had long gone. Now its new owners hope to bring the once legendary Widder bar back to life with a new concept.
 
It was news that caused frustration amongst local bar-goers: at the beginning of the year, the Widder bar closed. Already for years, the bar above the restaurant of the same name on the Landsgemeindeplatz in Zug had been perceived only marginally.
 
Since a few days, drinks are being poured anew. The new owners are Christoph Schmid and Josef Pargfrieder, who together have been running the bar Platzhirsch, also in Zug.
 
Did the operations in the new Widder bar get off to a good start? What will be new? The owners are satisfied with the first few days: "We had an invite-only pre-opening and then there was the official opening. Both days went really well - we were packed," says Schmid. The bar is being well received by the guests. "Many know the bar from the past and tell us that it's great that it has reopened."
 
DJs on weekends
 
Although many locals still like to reminisce, many things are new: "We have new bathrooms, the music system is new, the floor has been polished, the entire kitchen and furnishings are new," summarises Schmid. For the first time, there is a lounge that can be booked for private occasions, such as corporate events. On the other hand, one did not want to change absolutely everything, says Schmid. "The Widder bar had been known and cherished. There had also been some specifications. As such, not much could be changed on the building itself."
 
The service, however, has been modified significantly: DJs are now playing music on the weekends. "It can get pretty loud." Some guests thought it was cool, others had shared that they would rather return to the Platzhirsch as the music was a bit too loud for them. "We explained that DJs do not play every weekend," says Schmid. It is planned that every second weekend, on Friday and Saturday evenings, DJs or a live band perform. Incidentally, the DJs are two resident DJs, "they are good friends of ours".
 
Closed in the summer months
 
With their new concept, Pargfrieder and Schmid want to attract people over the age of 28 who enjoy dancing. They want to revive the old town of Zug, and acquire new guests. They do not believe that the Widder bar would "cannibalise" the Platzhirsch: "We certainly do not want to take away the clientele from the Platzhirsch. The idea is much more that once they have eaten there, they can come to the Widder bar should they feel like dancing," says Schmid. Those who don’t dance, but rather go out for a drink, should also get their money’s worth. Hence there is a Widder bar house drink, and generally a diverse drinks menu featuring also several champagnes, Schmid lists.
 
The bar is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6pm to midnight; on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6pm to 2am. "If there's a lot going on, we would have the permit until maximum 4am," says Schmid. On Sundays, they have initially planned to serve drinks from 4pm to 10pm. "This rather as an experiment, for the duration of this month surely, probably until mid-November. Should we see that it’s dead quiet, then we must say: We have tried, also upon request of the guests, but then we leave it - and probably open Tuesdays instead."
 
In summer, the bar will probably take one to two months break, "from experience, hardly anyone will visit." Instead the restaurant is presumably going to be rented out "or we simply organise single events, such as birthdays or corporate events for instance."