Olten’s legendary station restaurant prepares to reopen

Olten’s historic station restaurant is set to reopen after an almost two-year renovation, SRF reports. The Bahnhofbuffet Olten, founded in 1856 and known for its central position in Switzerland’s rail network, is due to welcome guests again on Nov. 6.

The restaurant, located between platforms 4 and 7, served as a meeting place for travellers, organisations and public figures. The Swiss Alpine Club was founded there in 1863, followed by the Swiss Trade Union Federation in 1880, the Free Democratic Party in 1894 and the Swiss Football Association in 1895. Writers including Peter Bichsel, Adolf Muschg and Max Frisch also met there.

In the past, the buffet had separate areas for first-class customers, workers and travellers in a hurry. While many station restaurants disappeared as fast-food chains and kiosks spread, Olten’s remained a place to read a newspaper, have coffee or hold a meeting. It closed for renovation at the end of 2024.

The restaurant will no longer be operated by the Italian chain Autogrill. Great Moments Gastro GmbH, whose other venues include Tre Farine at Olten station, is taking over. Co-owner Beat Thommen said a cookbook known in the industry as the “Pauli” helped inspire the project. Its editor, Eugen Pauli, had also run the Olten station restaurant.

Thommen said the buffet needed to have “a soul” and hoped people would choose to spend time there, even taking a later train. The renovated restaurant will have an open kitchen, and its operators also hope it will attract people from the Olten region.

Station buffets were at their peak from the 1920s to the 1970s, SRF reports. Olten’s central location helped make it a longstanding meeting point for people travelling from Basel, Zurich, Bern and Lucerne.