Klaus Puck is the younger brother of world-famous restaurateur Wolfgang Puck, and has worked with him for more than 30 years. Klaus Bock is responsible for about 100 businesses in his brother’s catering empire around the world, including the first restaurant in Austria, at Vienna Airport.
We recently asked him to do an interview at his home in St. Veit an der Glane, which can be watched in detail on video here.
Week: How did your first restaurant in Austria develop?
Klaus Back:We are very satisfied. The experience of opening the arrivals lounge for the first time at an airport was a success in Schwechat, and not only passengers enjoyed it, but also many guests from Vienna and the surrounding area came to us to eat.
How is the response?
There have already been a number of restaurant critics and the feedback has been consistently positive. We’ve recently received a lot of compliments from Falstaff, something airport restaurants rarely get. Of course, we are very pleased with the really positive customer feedback on online platforms like Google Reviews.
Do you serve local food too?
Of course: in addition to the international specialties we’re famous for, our menu also includes goulash, Viennese schnitzel, and even Carinthian cheese noodles.
Do you still have as good employees as you did when you started?
Yes, especially since the important positions are still filled with the same senior people, which we are very happy about and obviously our team is also happy about. Without them we wouldn’t be well.
How much responsibility do you have in the POC empire?
Basically, I am responsible for all the businesses around the world except for the fine dining area, which is taken care of by my brother Wolfgang. Some time ago he opened the first Spago restaurant in Europe in Budapest. I am responsible for approximately 100 operations on several continents in large airports and train stations, including 20 smaller operations in selected supermarkets in California.
I mean in terms of sales?
We generate about 150 million in sales annually, but at much lower costs than the rest of the company.
Detailed conversation in video form (Camera, Hubert Kraxner):
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