William Tell Restaurant
 

Have not seen any signs of the Tell being open recently - is this a planned vacation? Sure hope they will re-open soon.

I was told by an employee that they have closed for good.

from their website
 

It says "Closed for the season. Thank you for 31 great years."

http://thewilliamtellinn.com/Page_1.html

Sad end to a really nice restaurant, if this is truly the end, and not just for the winter.

If true, that would be a real shame. The Tell is one of our favorite restaurants and was always consistent with great food and service!!

Was the employee who told you this a current or previous employee??

Thanks!

Dan

Curious, I went to the restaurant's website. If you go to the "About Us" tab, you see that the chef/owners have been running the establishment for 31 years, and there are pictures of recent grandchildren.

I'm sure someone will be able to confirm, but I assume they have decided to start their well-earned retirement. Unfortunately, in the current environment, perhaps they have not been able to find someone who was willing to take it over.

I think you're reading too much into it. If you go on to the website it says "Closed for the Season." "Thank you for 31 Great Years!"

I think that they're only thanking people for keeping them in business this long and that they're actually closed for the season.

You can see that they've updated the site and nothing on the site says that they're closed for good. Just for the season, as they say.

That's the way I read it also until I saw vballa09 post above who stated they spoke to an employee... I agree with you though.

Dan

I don't want to give out names but she is/was a current employee. She said they had closed for good because of financial reasons. She is the mother of one of my son's classmates so I don't know her well. Maybe she misunderstood and they are only closed for the season? She was upset though because it was out of the blue and right before Christmas.

This is at least a change in plans. When I was there in early September, I asked if they would be open through the winter. The response from the lady that runs the dining room was "of course". They seemed to have a lot of firewood on-site, so to me they intended to stay open this winter at that time.

I really hope this is just for the winter. I will miss them this winter, but if this is it, this is a huge shame. Great service, atmosphere and food all the time!

Good luck to those that worked there. You folks always did an outstanding job!

R2B

The William Tell is closed for the season
 

I went straight to the source and emailed the Bosserts. I received a reply within minutes. They indeed did decide to close for the season but according to Mrs. Bossert they hope to re-open in the spring. I also was told that after 31 years they hope to pass things on to the next generation, however, the restaurant is on the market. I hope their daughter, who has been working alongside her father, decides to take up the reins. The food and service here can't be beat. I don't know if a new owner would keep the German/Swiss cuisine or if the food and service would match the original. Where would my little buddy Kevin get his Toblerone chocolate dessert?

"Tell" It Like It Is!
 

Well as much as I would like to be selfish and say I hope they never close or retire, they certainly deserve the rest and a round of applause for all the wonderful meals and great times they have served over the years!! I wish them only the best that life has to offer!

Thanks William Tell for the great food and good times!!

Dan

We live a stone's throw from the William Tell and have realllly enjoyed every meal there very much. So, so, so sorry to hear that they may be closed for good. But we wish you well. Merry Christmas.

Wow!

31 years is a long, long time in this business and in this area. What a wonderful job they have done.

I hope they become a seasonal restaurant for a few years and make an orderly transition to a new ownership and the new owner continues the same food, service and theme. However, a am being a bit selfish with this hope.

Thank you Bossert family for so many wonderful evenings over the last ten years. You were great hosts and deserve a nice retirement. I hope to see you again next summer, somewhere and somehow. You folks are a class act!!

R2B

Snowballs...
 

Toblerone chocolate..toasted coconut ladden vanilla ice cream..Hefeweizen perfectly poured with a wedge of lemon...escargot..wienerschnitzel..Octoberfest..

Wishing the Bossert family well. Like everyone, we always had a fine dining experience at the William Tell. We'll miss what it was, Susan's friendly greeting, the great food and service. We look forward to spring at the Lake and are anxious to see what will be..

Christmas dinner
 

I am so sad the William Tell is closed. I called yesterday and she told me that they were closing for the winter. We just loved that place and always went there for Christmas dinner. Any suggestions of a place to go for Christmas dinner in the Lakes Region.

The William Tell
 

We hope this wonderful reataurant opens in the spring. One of our favorite places to dine with friends from Welch Island. We have been there many times to "catch" the Early Bird specials. And the hostess is so warm and friendly as she welcomes folks to her place.

Went by this morning about 11 and there is a big FOR SALE sign on the front steps.

Ooh no....
 

Nothing left to say about that except :(

GH,
Thanks for the good news. We will just have to redouble our support next year as we never know how many great meals we have left at this classic place.

Confirmed -- closing for good
 

Yep, there is a for sale sign out there.

Closing for good?
 

I know the Bosserts told me they have put the business on the market, but they also said they were hoping to re-open in the spring if it doesn't sell. Have you heard otherwise, or is "closing for good" based on the FOR SALE sign out front?

Recipes
 

GH....if you lknow them, please suggest that they put together a book of recipes for all those delicious foods we have been enjoying over the years. I have asked for the recipe for that salad dressing and was told it is secret but if they close it would be nice to have.

William Tell
 

Does anyone know about the future of the William Tell restaurant in Alton?
Are the Bosserts going to reopen the retaurant this year?

Their website is still up, which is a good sign, and it says "Closed for the season."

Not so enouraging is the "Thank you for 31 great years!"

http://thewilliamtellinn.com/#

I guess it is up to the next generation to commit: go or no go.

Danged good food, and nice people.

What if WE bought it and ran it as an employee owned business? I'm a heck of a cook and not a bad bartender. :D

Swiss recipes
 

I've got a spaetzle maker & recipe available. Actually my Swiss grandmother called them "Knopfli" (little buttons) as they are thicker and more like those at the William Tell than the skinnier German spaetzle that look more like they were made with a potato ricer.

Hmmm.... we're into the "season", and the William Tell is still closed. That was, by far, my absolute favorite restaurant in the whole area!! The folks who ran it were real nice, too!!!

We went by today going to Irwin and saw the For Sale sign still on it.

I'm wondering about their obligation to reimburse the money for outstanding gift certificates - especially the ones they sold right before they closed (when they apparently knew they were going to close). If they've filed bankruptcy then I would suspect that the money is gone; but if not, then someone should be held accountable for the money.

Ouch.

I'd hate to have my good memories of The Tell be besmirched by allegations of greed / fraud, but the point could be well taken.

Time will tell (pun intended).

If you bought your gift certificates on your credit card you can easily get a back charge credit.

Whenever buying gift certificates it's always best to put them on your credit card for this exact reason.

Dan

Had not thought of that - I did pay by CC, so I'll explore this avenue. I'm hoping they open up for summer and the gift certs can be redeemed.

something is happening over there...
 

The for-sale signs are gone (or were gone, last time I went by - a couple of days ago), and there was a flat of stones there - in the front, indicating possibly some repairs..

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... anyone know any more?

Regards,

Steve

Oops, too soon!
 

Looks like they were just getting a new sign or changing brokers. Now there is an even more prominent sign there (for sale) :confused:

William Tell :)
 

Went to Meadowbrook last night, left early hoping to have dinner there (haven't been on here for awhile to see they were closed) and rocks are across the driveway with (as someone else said) a very prominent sign saying for sale...... very sad that such a good restaurant that was in business for so many years is now gone. :(

so sad
 

This makes me so sad. We are heading up to the Lake tomorrow for a week and we had planned to go to dinner at the William Tell Inn as we have always done every year because the whole family loved it. Now what? Where will I get a salad with corn and beets? I have gone there for years and will miss it...what a shame to see such a nice place close.

1602 Mount Major Highway
Alton, NH

MLS #: 4174645

The William Tell Restaurant has been a Lakes Region landmark for over 30 years and is now offered for sale as a turn-key restaurant opportunity. The property is located on high traffic Rt. 11 East in Alton and has 2.22 acres of land with beach rights on Lake Winnipesaukee. The main floor of the restaurant seats 100 including the bar. There is a second floor function room that seats 50, and an owner's apartment with three bedrooms on the third floor. This property could easily be converted into either a large single family home or a multi family residence. This is a great opportunity for a chef/restauranteur or an expansion location of a current restaurant. Listing Office: Roche Realty Group, Listing Agent: Lyne Bonneau
<TABLE class=property-details-info cellSpacing=0><TBODY><TR class=odd><TH scope=row>Price:</TH><TD>$295,000</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://www.maxfieldrealestate.com/pr...ighway/5880212
http://c1857392.r92.cf0.rackcdn.com/.../4174645_1.jpg

Sounds like a pretty reasonable price.