Veltlinerstübli – An era comes to an end

Since 2017, Georg and Corinna Flury have been running the Veltlinerstübli, a restaurant with a long family tradition that has been owned by the Flury family since the 19th century. He runs the 300-year-old, rustic wooden house together with his wife Corinna. Now Georg Flury is going into well-deserved retirement. But what's next?

1. Mr. Flury, the Veltlinerstübli has a long tradition. What does this restaurant mean to you personally and what makes the Veltlinerstübli so special?
The Veltlinerstübli has existed since 1717 and has always been family-owned since then. So I practically grew up here and saw how it developed from a simple Jass restaurant into a specialty restaurant. Our philosophy has always been to create a family atmosphere and to maintain direct contact with our guests. Another highlight is our commitment to regionality: for five years now, all of our products have come exclusively from Graubünden - something that our guests really appreciate.

2. Which dish should every guest definitely try again before you hand over the restaurant?
This winter we are offering a game evening every Thursday for the first time. As a passionate hunter, I know a lot about game and put together a varied menu. From "Munggapfäffer" to snow hares to a fine saddle of venison - we know how to spoil our guests' palates.

3. How have the guests and the gastronomy in Monstein changed over the years?
Since Corona, there are hardly any classic "regulars' table" guests anymore. We have dissolved our regulars' table - although we have many loyal regulars, they mainly come for lunch or dinner. Local guests who stop by in the evening for an after-work beer and a game of Jass have become rare. The younger generation hardly maintains this tradition anymore either. I see this development in many other restaurants - real regulars' tables have become rare. I am all the more grateful that our restaurant can count on a loyal and numerous regular clientele.

4. What will you miss most when you no longer run the Veltlinerstübli?
It was a great time. I will really miss the contact with our regular customers. After cooking, I often went to the guests and knew many of them by name. Many of them also had second homes, with whom I always maintained a close relationship and could always have a good conversation. And of course the great collaboration with my wife Corinna. We were a well-rehearsed team - me in the kitchen, her in service. It just worked perfectly.

5. Speaking of retirement: What are you planning to do with the new-found time? Are there any plans or dreams that you would like to fulfill now?
As long as Jasmine (alpine skiing) and Jason (cross-country skiing) are competing, I want to be there at the competitions. Luckily, we were there in Méribel in 2023 when Jasmine won the world championship title in the downhill - if I had missed that, I would never have forgiven myself. I am also looking forward to spending more time with my wife and grandchildren. Because of work, there was often hardly any time for that. And of course I want to pursue my passion for hunting more intensively again. Last autumn I was only able to go on the Graubünden high hunt for a few days - can you imagine that? This year it will be different!

6. Are you planning anything special for your departure?
Good question. We are currently still fully at work and have not thought about it yet. We'll see - we'll be surprised. (laughs)

7. What will happen to the Veltlinerstübli?
After such a long family history, we would of course have liked the restaurant to stay in the family. Unfortunately, no one has been found for that. But we are happy to have found a suitable successor in the entrepreneur Thomas Failer. He lives with his family in Monstein and appreciates the successful traditional house. We are in close contact about tried and tested concepts and necessary renovations, such as the expansion of the kitchen.

In Mr. Failer we have found a worthy successor and we are convinced that the Veltlinerstübli will continue to be a familiar place in beautiful Monstein. We wish him all the best from the bottom of our hearts!