That’s why the closure of Old Swiss Inn in Olympia this July is hitting many diners harder than expected.
The Somerset Olympia Building was acquired by Ayala Land Inc. last year and it is set to be redeveloped, according to company CEO Anna Ma. Margarita B. “Meean” Dy, confirming details in a Philippine Star column.
Coming for the food, staying for the memories
The 32-year-old Makati restaurant serving Swiss classics became about far more than just its old-world European vibe and comfort food such as its signature slow roasted beef belly, fondue and fresh corned beef, said owner and general manager Katrina Limcaoco-Alcuaz.
“Many of our regulars don’t only talk about what they ate; they talk about the moments they shared here—lunches with their lolo, after-prom desserts, first dates. Those memories stayed with them, and they kept coming back to relive them,” she told InsiderPH.
“Nostalgia became a big part of what drew people back,” she added.
Post-war roots
Old Swiss Inn traces its roots back to 1946, when Swiss chef Emil Landert first opened the restaurant along Roxas Boulevard before eventually moving operations to Paco in Manila, where the original branch still operates today.
In the early 1990s, Katrina’s father, the industrialist Felix Limcaoco Jr., acquired the restaurant and soon after opened the Makati branch in 1994.
Limcaoco-Alcuaz left her bank job to help oversee and eventually run the restaurants.
Memories behind the walls
The closure also means saying goodbye to something she helped build almost from scratch, she said.
“What I’ll miss most is the history built into this place—the feeling of creating it from the ground up. I’ll miss the memories of opening in 1994, working with Sonia Olivares on the interiors, consulting with my mom (Josefina “Pinky” Limcaoco) on how best to handle personnel, asking my dad questions on construction, carefully choosing the Swiss details like cowbells and carved wood, and even those late nights checking on construction,” Limcaoco-Alcuaz recalled.
Staff who became family
While the food and old-world charm defined the Old Swiss Inn experience, another lasting hallmark was its warm service and longtime staff who built close relationships with generations of diners.
Limcaoco-Alcuaz said many customers even asked: “What will happen to Connie? To Edna? To Mark?”.
“I loved how our staff got to be so close to our diners that their welfare was their concern,” she said.
The Makati staff will be retained and transferred to the Paco branch, which continues to operate, while Old Swiss Inn expands takeout offerings and its “Dinner Drop” delivery service.
What’s next?
Limcaoco-Alcuaz said a new Makati location is definitely on the table once they find an appropriate site.
Some help is coming from the most unexpected place: their loyal patrons.
“I was genuinely touched when our longtime regulars looked so sad, and started wracking their brains on where we could move. We’ve had so many guests generate ideas for us from ‘I was passing this building on the way to work and there was a space available’ to ‘my family owns a building and I can ask for a space for you’,” she said.
“It was so touching that the diners were the ones who were looking for spaces!” she added.
For now, the restaurant has rolled out a “Signature Moments Card” from May 1 to July 1, offering added rewards for longtime customers as the Makati branch winds down its final months.
They say out with the old and in with the new. Old Swiss Inn Makati has proved that some things are worth keeping around, even if they eventually find a different address.
Miguel R. Camus has been a reporter covering various domestic business topics since 2009.
