Swimming against the current

Marco Planitzer, qualified hotelier/restaurateur, has many years of professional experience at the best locales in the Swiss gastronomy scene. Most recently, he was Maître d’Hôtel and Food and Beverage Manager at the Hotel Ermitage in Schönried. As of November, he will take the fate of Gasthaus Traube into his hands and, as a young, creative and open-minded host, will significantly help shape the restaurant. Quite appropriately, we took an unconventional seat together on a pile of rubble in the middle of the construction site to talk about visions, fried eggs and his dream job.

Interviewer: Marco, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Who are you? Where do you come from?

I’d love to. My name is Marco Planitzer, I’m 34 years young and I’m originally from Sevelen, just like my mother Colette Planitzer. My father, Walter Planitzer, comes from Styria in Austria. My parents met 40 years ago in Triesen, Liechtenstein, whilst having a beer after work. My father remained true to the trade he trained in and established a career as a chef. He has been successfully running the restaurant in the vocational and further training centre bzb in Buchs since 1990. I probably owe my passion for gastronomy to him. What else can I tell you about myself? I wander the world with open eyes, always keep myself moving forward and love to develop and challenge myself.

Despite your young age, you have already held many important positions in gastronomy and travelled the world. Will you take us with you on your journey?

My professional career started with a commercial apprenticeship in the service sector of refrigeration and heating technology. Although I’m glad I had this basic training, I soon realised that a purely office-based job wasn’t for me in the long term. This was followed by a language-learning stay in western Switzerland, where I ended up behind the buffet in a restaurant for the first time. That’s where my passion really set in. From then on, I dove into gastronomy, which, before and after the hotel management school in Thun, led me to Arosa and Ascona, Bad Ragaz and Weggis, Grindelwald, Sax and Konolfingen and finally to Basel and Schönried near Gstaad. I was able to gain experience at the best locales, such as the Bürgenstock Resort in Obbürgen, the Berower Park restaurant at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel and the Hotel Ermitage in Schönried. Between stints, I travelled the world for a year. I didn’t follow a clear professional approach, I just let myself drift and only realised in retrospect that my career had basically been moving steeply upwards from the very beginning.

«I gratefully accept this challenge together with the Gasthaus Traube team.»

Can you tell us a little more about your travels around the world?

From March 2018 to March 2019, I took a break and travelled with my partner at the time through Africa for half a year and through South America another half year. We made sure to travel as authentically as possible, used public transport and took every opportunity to meet the locals. It was a great time and a wonderful experience. After these many beautiful adventures, it was mainly Africa that stole my heart. It was the embodied values, the incredible warmth and hospitality of the people that shaped me. I also loved the contrasts – the organised life in Switzerland juxtaposed with the confusion and sometimes even chaos in Africa. Both work in their own individual way.

You are now back home and will be running Gasthaus Traube as of November. How did that happen?

I owe the contact with Kathrin Schertler-Secli and Ivan Secli (owners of Gasthaus Traube, note) to my dad. Through his work as restaurant manager of the bzb dining hall, he is often booked by Ivan as a caterer for Secli Weinwelt. One day, they ended up talking about Gasthaus Traube and that’s how my name came up as a possible manager. We sat down together at a table and were on the same wavelength from the start. The conversations with Kathrin and Ivan were heartfelt and constructive. I’ve always considered taking up such a role one day. Now I am overjoyed and gratefully accept this challenge together with the Gasthaus Traube team.

What particularly appeals to you about your new job?

On the one hand, it’s an honour for me to be the Manager of this traditional restaurant. On the other hand, this title also comes with a lot of responsibility. But that’s exactly what excites me. I like to challenge myself. I like to move outside of my comfort zone. That’s what I’m passionate about and what drives me – both professionally and privately.

Do you have a recipe for dealing with this great responsibility?

Unfortunately, there is no recipe for this in the cookbook (laughs). How can I explain it? I am someone who prefers action over words. I approach new tasks with total passion. I take things one step at a time. Well, this is probably my personal recipe: tackle one thing at a time and don’t rush into anything.

We are sitting very comfortably on this pile of rubble in the middle of the construction site on this beautiful summer evening in July. The situation of being able to participate in a concept right from the start is new to you.

Absolutely and I love it! It’s great to experience how an idea slowly becomes a reality and to watch the creation of the «new» Traube up close. We are all pulling in the same direction, namely to create a place where people come together. Gasthaus Traube should be a place where values are embodied. We will also swim against the current and dare to try new things. This fundamental idea really resonates with me.

«Swimming against the current» and «daring to try new things» – that sounds interesting.

It means that we approach things openly and with curiosity, and we want to set new standards as an innovative and dynamic gastronomy establishment. A simple example: It is common for service staff to have unpaid breaks between shifts, but who says that’s the best solution just because it’s always been done that way? We want to replace the unpaid break with continuous working hours in order to create attractive working conditions for our employees. We attach great importance to a good work-life balance.

«It’s very important to me to always keep one step ahead.»

A good catchword. How is your personal work-life balance?

Friends, family, going out, good food – that has always been important to me. I am a sociable person who appreciates contact with people. When I’m feeling good, I enjoy the moment and won’t say no to a good glass of wine or two (laughs). The main thing is that the company is right. I can say with a clear conscience that I have always managed to find a balance to work in my personal life.

There are still a few weeks left until the grand opening in November. What does a typical day look like for you at the moment?

I get up at eight o’clock and before anything else, I treat myself to a coffee. After that, I’m ready to sit down at the computer where I check and work through e-mails. I’m currently receiving lots of applications for our various job openings. I try to read through these as soon as possible. A big topic at the minute is the till and reservation system. It’s all about finding the right partners. I talk to Daniel Gundling, our Head Chef, on a daily basis. This is important to me because, after all, we want to support each other and develop together. We also work and fine-tune the gastronomic concept together. It’s also very important to me to always keep one step ahead. That’s why I’m already organising shift rosters, taking care of budget matters, wages, things like that. And from time to time, of course, I’ll treat myself to a coffee break. I currently have 10 to 15 cups of coffee a day. I admit I’m a fan, which is why I’m glad that Kathrin and Ivan have already made arrangements for the perfect coffee machine and their own coffee blend (laughs).

You mentioned the many applications that are currently coming in. How do you choose the perfect employees for service, kitchen and office work?

Thanks to my many years of experience in gastronomy, I have been able to conduct a huge number of job interviews. My main concern is that future employees are passionate about gastronomy and people. I can tell pretty quickly if someone’s all talk or if there is truth behind their pretty words.

Could you reveal one of your tricks?

I like to spontaneously ask the chefs to make me a fried egg. You can do that almost anywhere. It’s exciting to see how they react to this challenge. Do they remain calm and relaxed? Do they get nervous or stressed? But it tells you a lot more, too. For example, where do they put the salt? In the pan or on the yolk?

I’m on the edge of my seat!

I think the salt belongs in the pan. If you sprinkle the salt on the yolk, you’ll end up with little white dots, which is naturally a shame in terms of aesthetics (laughs). Beauty often lies in the simple things. Even the humble fried egg can be prepared with plenty of love and passion. Of course, this is about more than just the fried egg. A lot can be deduced here. More specifically, we give a lot. But we also have clear expectations of our employees.

Let’s discuss strengths and weaknesses. How would you assess yourself in this regard?

I certainly count my distinct readiness to provide services and my communication skills among my strengths. I am open to new and unfamiliar things. If I do something, I put my all into it. My employees will also quickly realise that I always have their back. Perhaps one weakness is that I’m not really a morning person. And: of course, my relatively young age can also lead to making mistakes. However, I don’t generally see mistakes as a weakness, as long as I learn from them.

That brings me to the next question: Where do you see the biggest challenge?

I think the biggest challenge is that we are starting from scratch in November. Even if I carry out the perfect fried-egg test, we won’t know whether I made the right decision until we put theory to practice. After all, we can’t test our future employees in advance. Only when we open our doors in November can the team grow together and incorporate processes. As I said, Gasthaus Traube won’t be standard. We want our approach to appeal to many different guests. It’s very exciting, but also a great challenge for which I have the utmost respect.

You’re addressing the guests. What are your wishes or expectations where they’re concerned?

First and foremost, I expect honesty from our guests. I’m realistic and I don’t think that everything will go smoothly from day one. I’m therefore hoping for open and constructive feedback. And, of course, I hope for a certain degree of tolerance. Praise would also be welcome when we do our job well. Or, as a colleague in the Bernese Oberland likes to say: “Nid gschumpfa isch gnuag globt!” (laughs) That means: If the guest doesn’t say anything, it’s equivalent to praise. When they complain, you know you have to do better next time.

What is your vision for Gasthaus Traube?

The vision of everyone involved is that Gasthaus Traube will become the venue for the region. The guests should feel comfortable, exchange ideas, make friends, celebrate, chat, enjoy. A venue is a place where people can be who they are. It’s important for guests to experience beautiful and enjoyable moments with us – from both a human and culinary perspective.

Another vision is that Gasthaus Traube will become renowned beyond the region. It’s sometimes easy to forget about us. People either stop at Lake Walen or drive past us into the Grisons. However, we want our restaurant to encourage people from outside the area to pay us a visit and get to know our beautiful region.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I’m the kind of person who’s always on the move. If possible, I try to go mountain biking at least twice a week. I enjoy playing the occasional game of tennis. I really like going out in the mountains. My favourite season is winter. I love skiing and cross-country skiing, with all the extras. Out in nature is the best place to clear my head, to leave problems or worries behind. I also like to combine my breaks with a visit to a great restaurant or a lovely hotel, where I let myself be fully pampered.

Do you have a tip for us?

At the moment, I really like the CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt. I find it to be a beautiful locale with a wonderful approach. As a guest, you feel very welcome in this five-star hotel. You are treated courteously, but in a manner that is relaxed, personal, appreciative and straightforward.

Thank you Marco for the wonderful interview.

Interview: Doris Büchel
Photos: Roland Lichtensteiger

Tabula Rasa

What’s the first thing you do in the morning? Drink coffee. What is the most important trait your employees must have? Honesty. What is a management matter? The complaints policy. Which gastronomic experience do you feel you simply must experience one day? A visit to the restaurant of Paul Bocuse in Paris.

Where do you always feel drawn back to? The Bernese Oberland. Where would you like to visit? Ghana. What can always be found in your fridge? A good alpine cheese. Who would you one day like to welcome into Gasthaus Traube? Roger Federer. What would you ask him? How do you manage all the high expectations?