This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Tibits n Customers choose what they want from the 'food boat' and then pay for their food by weight


D


espite the vast array of res- taurants in the UK capital, the choice for vegetarian dining is still limited.


One distinctive brand that has been slowly making its mark in cen- tral London is the Swiss-owned Tibits vegetarian restaurant in Heddon Street, which opened in October 2008. Co-owner Reto Frei says that it has taken time to build up the business, but there is now a strong following among health-con- scious diners, and the company is currently looking for a second suit- able London location. The origins of the Tibits story goes back over a century, to 1898, when Bavarian Ambrosius Hiltl had to give up his job as a tailor due to ill health and decided to open a vegetarian restaurant. Seen as both an eccentric and a pioneer, Hiltl had cured himself of his ill health with his meat-free diet and was on a mission to convince others. Four generations later, Hiltl in Zurich is being run by his great grandson Rolf Hiltl and is now Europe’s oldest vegetarian restaurant. Far from being stuck in its past tra- ditions, the restaurant has continued


ISSUE 2 2012 © cybertrek 2012


to reinvent itself and offers a modern, interactive space with cool design and a busy social calendar. The site in Zurich now offers a cookery school, lounge bar, nightclub and healthy takeaway. Reto Frei and his two brothers Christian and Daniel entered the picture in 1998 when they won a prestigious business competition in


"We are not driven by


shareholders, we're driven by quality. We want to grow sustainably"


Switzerland with their concept for a stylish vegetarian restaurant serving delicious, freshly prepared vegetar- ian food from early morning to late evening. The award caught the atten- tion of Rolf Hiltl and his wife Marielle and not long after a partnership was formed between the five to develop a new vegetarian concept for the 21st century. The result was Tibits, with the first site opening in Zurich in 2000 followed by another three sites in


Switzerland and a first international site in central London (a second site briefly opened at Westfield in West London but then closed). Frei says that while the brand did not fit in the shopping centre environment, the Heddon Street restaurant has grad- ually built up a regular following, from office workers to theatre-goers to a celebrity clientele including Bianca Jagger and Stella McCartney. The restaurant features a large food boat, where diners select what they want and pay by weight.“It makes the food choice very accessible and uncompli- cated,” says Frei.


Although not brought up as veg- etarians, Frei and his two brothers


have all chosen a vegetarian path for ethical reasons and are passionate about taking the brand forward. Frei says: “We are not driven by shareholders, we’re driven by quality. We want to grow sustainably. “The brand is now attracting a lot of attention from countries as diverse as France and Germany, Brazil and Austria, but for the moment our focus in on a second site in London, possibly around Covent Garden.” l


Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 47


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76