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If you want to eat well in my restaurant, say 'cheese'

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Why you can trust SCMP

In January 1975, The Peninsula's first CEO Peter Gautschi interviewed Max Liechti in St Moritz, Switzerland. Six weeks later, the larger-than-life Swiss chef was on a plane to Hong Kong. He was sous chef at the group's Hong Kong hotel, then executive chef in 1981 and took the helm at Chalet, the Royal Pacific's Swiss restaurant, in 1988. When the Asian financial crisis hit, the place closed, leaving Liechti out of a job and penniless. A friend offered a lifeline.

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'I had not a penny to my name,' says Liechti. 'He said: 'You go look for a place. See how much it costs and if I can, I will help you'.' Liechti found a premises, bought and scavenged furniture from the closed-down Royal Pacific and opened Swiss Chalet 14 years ago.

Some reviewers have likened Swiss Chalet to Chesa, at The Peninsula...

It's a problem.

Why is it a problem?

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I keep the quality, but my prices are not as expensive as the hotels. If I had prices like the Sheraton or Peninsula, then I think the place might be empty.

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