A fixture on the city’s dining scene for the last 46 years, The William Tell will serve its last Bündnerfleisch, Swiss fondue or Chateaubriand (update) on December 31, 2010.
William Tell owner Philippe Doebeli confides that a number of factors contributed to the decision to close one of Vancouver’s longest running fine dining destinations.
“It was a difficult decision to make,” says Doebeli, who says it’s time for him to take a a break and re-focus on other possibilities.
“Business-wise, we’re still doing fine,” says the owner.
“However, pending major renovations would have required a renewed lease and commitment for the next ten years, as well as continuing the ongoing 24 hour nature of the business.”
A harbinger of fine dining in Vancouver, The William Tell was founded in 1964 by Philippe’s father, Erwin Doebeli, and partners, as a stand-alone dining room. For many years it drew the glitterati of politics and show-biz as the destination for the ultimate in continental dining, in an era well before the rise of BC regional cuisine, and at a time when—to be polite—such sophistication and élan hadn’t quite made it to the frontier town of “Terminal City.”
In many ways, The William Tell helped set the gold standard for white linen service in Vancouver, with Erwin responsible for mentoring several of the city’s current leading managers, chefs and sommeliers.
William Tell owner Philippe Doebeli makes Café Diablo tableside - Tim Pawsey photo
Eventually, in 1983, the restaurant upped roots for the then newly built Georgian Court Hotel, becoming one of the first independents to supply food and beverage needs as opposed to a hotel-owned and run operation. Over the last two decades, while maintaining the cuisine and philosophy of the formal room, the ‘Tell moved with the times by opening the more casual William Tell Bistro, in response to the needs of hotel guests and event patrons headed to nearby venues.
On the plate, while Swiss classics remained an integral part of its personality, overall, the mood evolved to be less formal and the fare more regionally inclined. And a cellar once built solely on the old world broadened its scope to accommodate the arrival of BC wines.
Philippe Doebeli says his father is entirely supportive of the decision and understands all too well the demands of running a round the clock establishment, as he himself had done for many years.
However, while suggesting the closure is indeed permanent, Doebeli is not discounting the possibility that—after a break to spend more time with his family—a smaller, once again independent William Tell could resurface elsewhere.
Whatever, the case, you may be sure the William Tell will go out in style—and who knows? The impeccable Erwin Doebeli (still one of the city’s most celebrated former hosts) may just drop in to fire that crossbow—as he did at the 25th—one last time.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m sad. I love the restaurant. The service is second to none.
The food excellent.
Dang – didn’t get a chance to use gift certificates – oh well they were a gift anyway.