“Nothing we do is exceptional; the reason we’re so successful is that we do quite ordinary things in a extraordinary way.” Ueli Prager (*1916), founder of Mövenpick.
In 1948 Ueli Prager, the son of a Swiss hotelier, opened the first Mövenpick restaurant at the Claridenhof in Zurich. Prager began offering culinary delicacies at affordable prices to city people with little time to spare – much to the astonishment of the Swiss restaurant industry.
The restaurant derived its name from a seagull swooping down to grab a titbit (the “w” from Möwe – the German word for seagull – replaced by a “v”, which better symbolised a bird in flight).
Prager’s concept of swift, high-quality catering soon caught on throughout Switzerland. In the years that followed, more restaurants were opened, the first of many premium brand articles was launched (Mövenpick’s Der Himmlische coffee), and various wine cellars and hotels were also opened.
When the founder Ueli Prager sold his majority shareholding in 1992, the company was restructured into a holding company over the next few years with five corporate divisions now operating autonomously: Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Marché International, Mövenpick Restaurants, Mövenpick Wine and Mövenpick Fine Foods.
Enjoyment, customer service and authenticity
These three core values have characterised Mövenpick since its founding in 1948 to the present; it is a philosophy which the 15,600 employees who work for the Group worldwide embrace every day. And so the success story continues.
Celebrate with us and enjoy the wide and varied offer of restaurants, hotels, wine stores and food. Our 2008 Anniversary Year will be punctuated by numerous activities in all our corporate divisions.
