Despite protests Popular traditional pub in Lausanne's old town has to close
The death of pubs in Switzerland continues - this time in French-speaking Switzerland. The traditional Café du Grütli in Lausanne's old town has been forced to close its doors - despite a large protest campaign.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The Café du Grütli in the Rue de la Mercerie near the Place de la Palud in Lausanne's city center has to close.
- Since 1849, guests have been served there in a historic setting dating back to the 14th century.
- Cheese fondue and cabbage sausage with papet vaudois (leek stew) were on the menu here, for example.
- Now, despite a large-scale protest campaign, the traditional pub will have to close in March 2027.
The cozy Café du Grütli in Lausanne's car-free old town has been welcoming guests in the historic 14th century building since 1849.
The menu features regional dishes such as cheese fondue and brasserie dishes. This establishment is distinguished by the "Café historique de Lausanne" label, which was introduced by the city of Lausanne in 2021, writes Lausanne Tourism.
However, Café Grütli will have to close its doors at the end of March 2027, as first reported by "24heures". This is despite the fact that the tenant couple wanted to prevent the closure with a large-scale petition with 12,000 votes. Restaurant guests and local politicians took part.
The reason? After lengthy negotiations, the owners of the building and the landlord and landlady couple Prutsch reached an agreement: The tenants, who have been running the restaurant since 1986, will be allowed to stay until March 31, 2027. Originally, their lease was due to end in March 2024. They will also receive compensation for the extension.
Death of pubs in Switzerland
The owner of the building will then take over everything: the inventory, the adjoining apartment and the historic pub. The Grütli will be replaced by an integrative restaurant for people with disabilities.
The landlord couple, who were about to retire, wanted to hand over the restaurant to their daughter.
Bistro Raponi in Schaffhausen only closed its doors in July 2025 after 43 years in business.
The Küsnacht restaurant Zum Trauben also closed in February 2025. The restaurant was housed in a historic building that had been home to a restaurant since 1797. The reason for the closure? The condition of the infrastructure, as the tenants and landlords wrote in a joint statement.
