Paris Inter.Continental General Manager Comes Home

the link International June 1997
USA
New York City
Morr the Merrier
Jonathan Nahmias thinks a great deal
about names. In his role as the maître d’ at
44, the high-powered Manhattan lunch
spot, it’s other people’s that matter. And his
role as the proprietor of two Jonathan Morr
Espresso Bars, it’s his own-albeit modified
(Morr is his mother’s maiden name) to fit the
tone he seeks in his stylish New York coffeehouses.
‘It doesn’t really make sense’, he says, surveying
the prairie-like expanse of his recently
opened SoHo enterprise and its adjoining gallery.
‘Who calls an espresso bar after themselves,
unless their name is Bruno or something
But I wanted to establish the name for
the future’.
The future according to Nahmias is an exciting
place. He alludes mysteriously to projects in
development-a move into clothing design, pioneering
‘the next new food concept to hit New-
York’, expanding his coffee business into the
Far East. (...)
Rachel Urquhart,
VANITY FAIR/December 1994
Opening
To call something ‘the Starbucks’ of its particular
market niche implies a slightly soulless,
cookie-cutter omnipresence.
But Jonathan Nahmias, on the verge of opening
the second of seven local Republic noodle
houses-the New York phase of a global
expansion plan-is impervious to that vibe. He
refers to that Seattle megabrand often as he
outlines his scheme to ride the pan-Asian and
soup trends into an international noodles-withan-attitude
franchise-one staffed by an assortment
of hip black-clad beauties he calls his
‘Benetton staff’. (...) The Union Square flagship’s
minimalist design, communal seating,
and almost-instantaneous service conspire to
turn tables in 30 to 45 minutes, a fast-food formula
that explains how Republic averages 900
covers a day. The second outpost opens this
week on the Upper West Side (2290 Broadway,
near 82nd Street), a precinct already glutted
with Monsoons, Empire Szechuans, Ollie’ses,
and myriad other cheap-noodle sources. But
Nahmias is resting easy. After all, Starbucks
wasn’t the first coffee shop on Colombus,
either.
Robin Raisfeld,
NEW YORK / December 9 Issue, 1996
(the above extracts are from the quoted magazines)
New York/Miami - ‘home thoughts from abroad’
Mr. Oscar Eberli (F&B Co-ordinator at Les
Roches) was recently in the States for the purpose
of a combined research prepared for the
Swiss Institute of Pedagogy and the Hotel
Management School Les Roches. He also took
the time to see graduates in New York and
Miami. His interviews in the form of a questionnaire,
provided the following interesting
feedback for us.
What are your favourite experiences or
memories of Les Roches
In answer to this the students talked most about
the studying environment and the beautiful
location of Bluche. Also figuring high in their
memories were the social life and friends they
made in Les Roches.
On the negative side they mentioned the hard
winters and the early service hours. However,
in retrospect, they admit that these “bad”
memories fade as time passes.
Which courses helped you most
Here the answers varied from “all the courses”
to “mostly the practical courses”. Certain subjects
such as Rooms Division, Human
Resources Management and Fidelio were quoted
as having been particularly appreciated.
Which courses are missing at Les Roches
Here the most frequent reaction was that
courses on “Current Trends” and “Future
Trends” in different departments could be seen
as possible courses in the future.
A consensus of thought advocated courses
involving the students more in the analysis of
problems and how to think as a hotel manager.
Joseph, Mr. Eberli, Reshma, Lotta, Rosy and
Kaeko at The Breakers, Palm Beach, FL.
What do you think about the ratio of practical/academic
work in Les Roches
On this point the graduates were unanimous
and their comments varied through
“Excellent”, “Very good”, “Perfect”, “Don’t
change anything”.
Were the “stages” in Switzerland useful
It seems that for some the “stages” were not
among their favourite memories. Most students
agreed that they were helpful and taught the
students how to survive and build up their professional
skills.
What do you think of school discipline in
retrospect
Mr. Eberli was surprised by how positively the
students he met talked about Rules &
Regulations, the insistence on dressing professionally
and punctuality. This now serves them
well in the industry. In general they felt that
present students should be constantly reminded
of these things because it is only after leaving
school that one realises how important this
aspect is. Of course, not many agreed 100%
with the dormitory rules!
How do you keep up contacts with other ex-
Les Roches students
Most students find this very difficult and are
glad to know that through the reorganisation of
the Alumni movement it will be easier in future
years to have better contacts. All agree that
the Home Page on Internet offers new possibilities.
Our thanks go to Mr. Eberli for the questionnaire
he prepared and we hope that publication
of this “home thoughts from abroad” article
will lead the readers to send in their own opinions
on these subjects. So, let’s hear from you!
Your praise or criticism can be nothing but
beneficial to Les Roches.
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