"A unique opportunity," says the bar expert, who drew up the plans for the "Botanicum" himself. The interior and technical features of the venue—built according to Feng Shui principles—are spectacular. The eye-catcher is undoubtedly the green wall with 144 pots in which a wide variety of plants are sprouting. Even Boswellia, the plant from which incense is made. Directly above the large quartzite bar hangs a metal cloud with 100 light bulbs, which a light artist has programmed using AI to constantly adjust to the light outside. The sound system, designed by the team at the renowned White Mirror Studios, creates a different soundscape in every area of the “Botanicum.” We immersed ourselves in this unique concept and met Elmir at the “Botanicum.”
BAR NEWS: Tell us briefly about your journey.
Elmir: I grew up in a basketball family. My mother and my uncle were professional basketball players, and my father was their manager. Growing up in an environment like that is something very special. There’s a lot of pressure, discipline is crucial, and you really can’t afford to give in to your inner slacker. School was very difficult for me—it wasn’t my world; I had to do things that didn’t really interest me. I attended elementary school and high school, but I dropped out when I was 15. I focused on something else.
I knew I had talent for basketball, so I pursued a career in the sport. At first, I played in Austria’s 2nd Bundesliga and also on various national team squads. Unfortunately, I then suffered a serious sports injury that effectively prevented me from playing professionally for two years. Things got difficult for me after that, as I suffered additional injuries.
I had to look for new ways to make a living. While working various jobs, I realized that I really enjoyed the service industry. By chance, I ended up in the restaurant business, first as a dishwasher, then as a bar assistant at a nightclub. When one of the bartenders got sick, I had to Barkeeper as Barkeeper . This was at the hottest club in Innsbruck—the Blue Chip.
That's when I realized that everyone at the bar wanted something from me, and I was good at handling it—and I liked that. I felt like I was at the center of everything and was respected as Barkeeper a nightclub. It was a lot of fun. In the end, I became the head bartender.
So you said goodbye to club life?
Yes, after a good three years, someone approached me and asked if I’d like to get to know the restaurant or hotel industry. That’s how I ended up at a beer garden with 120 seats. A completely different world—and a new one for me. Here, I knew that during peak hours, guests wanted to be served as quickly as possible. It worked out, and I also enjoyed the fact that I got a lot of feedback from the guests—often in the form of kind words, but frequently in the form of tips as well. Perhaps that’s one of the biggest differences from professional sports, where you rarely got anything in return. More and more was demanded of you. You have to keep getting better and better and receive hardly any recognition; it only gets better once you’re at the very top. To get there, you also have to be able to handle a lot of criticism.
And what happened next?
Then came the mandatory military service. That’s where I learned discipline. Afterward, I entered the hospitality industry and joined what was then the 4-star Schlosshotel Fiss. There, I once again experienced the diverse world of the restaurant business, and I grew to enjoy direct contact with guests more and more as time went on. No matter where you are or what area of the industry you work in, the hospitality industry offers so many opportunities that you’ll constantly push yourself to your limits—but it also gives you the motivation to keep climbing higher. It also gives you a ticket to explore the world. So I worked in the Philippines, Mexico, Berlin, Rostock, and, in between, back in my home country of Austria from time to time. I had my personal breakthrough working behind the bar in Norway, where I had the privilege of working at the best bar.
What brought you to Switzerland?
Working in Switzerland had always been my dream. For me, the Swiss hospitality industry, in particular, represented the world’s elite in the field—both in terms of cuisine and quality. So I applied to work at The Chedi. Marie Gerber was the bar manager at the time. It was yet another whole new world. Getting started wasn’t easy, and I had a lot to learn. The world of The Chedi was yet another hotel world entirely different from anything I’d known before. I stayed there for five years and, after Marie Gerber left, was given the opportunity to take over as bar manager.
You can read the full interview in the magazine's Issue 2-2026.
