Reopening uncertain Entire kitchen crew resigns - top restaurant closes immediately

Restaurant Sonne has to close immediately. The top restaurant can no longer find staff and the previous crew has resigned.

Restaurant Sonne in Seuzach ZH, which Armin Waldvogel took over in June 2023, achieved 15 "Gault Millau" points within a few months and was considered an up-and-coming top restaurant.

However, the problems behind the scenes came to a head: a lack of staff and the dismissal of the entire kitchen crew forced Waldvogel to close the business for the time being at the end of October, as reported by the "Landbote" newspaper. "We are suffering from a severe shortage of skilled staff," he explained.

Waldvogel rejects accusations that he overworked his employees. "I always made sure that this didn't happen," he emphasized. Nevertheless, former employees criticized the lack of appreciation and high demands, which led to high staff turnover, particularly in the service department.

Owners do not comment

Head chef Timur Asadullaev told the "Landbote" that things "no longer harmonized" and that he wanted to concentrate on his career in Zurich.

The restaurant has been closed since mid-November as it was not possible to find new staff. "It was all extremely expensive," says Waldvogel, who claims to have fallen into a financial hole due to the crisis. He is now looking for a new tenant for the restaurant, while he wants to continue running the hotel. He doesn't see a silver lining on the horizon "at the moment."

The owners of the Sonne, Monika and Stephan Jäger, did not want to comment on the situation as they are "neither operationally nor strategically involved in the business". Whether and when the Sonne will be able to reopen remains uncertain.