Njørden

This is what it's all about.

Njørden is the brainchild of Philippe Deslarzes and Victor Lequet, friends of 15 years with a passion for good food, entertaining, and creating unique and memorable experiences for friends and strangers alike. In 2017, with both seeking a challenge and a new project, the idea to start a restaurant together was born. But ’just any’ restaurant wouldn’t do. Theirs would be daring, pioneering and unique. Theirs would draw inspiration from their personal histories and experiences. Theirs would challenge the tried-and-tested setup of fine-dining. Theirs would be socially and environmentally conscious. Theirs would be Njørden.

Our project is special because ...

Constructed from recycled shipping containers and perched amongst the grapevines in a vineyard overlooking Léman Lake, Njørden will serve fine Nordic style cuisine from fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, with attention and commitment to environmental friendliness and sustainability. But Njørden won’t stop there! Everything about Njørden is being designed and planned with mobility in mind, and after two summer seasons in the Lavaux region, Njørden will hit the road to another new, inspiring location!
Join us on the start of this exciting and unique journey. With your support, Njørden will materialise so that we can host you, feed you, and most importantly share our dream and passion with you.

This is what we need backing for.

Opening a restaurant under any circumstances, in any market, is not without challenges and risk. But building one from recycled shipping containers is on another whole level. The containers themselves are sourced in Greece where they will be fitted out with plumbing, cladding and insulation before we ship them to Switzerland. Once here, they will be fitted out with kitchen equipment, furnishings and fittings.

Then there is the site. It is currently a new buildable ground, which means we need to invest in some infrastructure to support a restaurant that seats 25 people.

We’re not afraid of the logistics of these challenges, but they come at a cost and there are many uncertainties that we will need to overcome as we go. This campaign is for just part of the total capital needed to get Njørden up and running, so the success of the project is subject to securing more funding. While we aim to open in October 2019, we can’t guarantee that we won’t face delays. But we won’t give up! In the event that Njørden opens later than planned, all rewards will still be valid.