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The Dawn of a New Era for St Jean d’Aulps

Big dreams as two entrepreneurs both try to change the social scene in the sleepy town

featured in News & reviews Author Alice Gregr, Morzine Reporter Updated

Two entrepreneurs with big dreams for the bar scene in Saint Jean d’Aulps, are hoping to transform it into the next “place to be” destination for tourists, expats and locals. As it stands, the village could be described as the family town, housing those wanting to break away from the bright lights of Morzine. Olivier Guyard and Craig Durkin want to change that by reinventing two of the oldest and most popular venues in the village. 

L’Amandier restaurant has been a firm favourite in SJD for years, serving all the Savoyard specialities and Bar National, the pizza place, has kept everyone floating in good beer for a long time. Both of these are about to be given new leases of life, meaning the dawn of a new age for Saint Jean. It’s not often that two businessmen with the same aspirations successfully set out on new ventures in the same place at the same time, but both are confident they can succeed. 

Olivier, or Olive as he’s known around Morzine, has lived in the area for 18 years, running Skimobile with his business partner, he hopes that by taking L’Amandier and turning it into a bar, he’ll be able to bring something special to the social scene in the village. “Saint Jean d’Aulps needs a good place, where people feel welcomed with nice music”. Serving food from lunchtime through to the evening, Olive says he really wants to mix French and English people, which he sees as a big challenge. In the day it’ll be open for those wanting to read their book with a coffee, at night catering for those looking for food, drink and music.

Just down the road, Craig Durkin has similar dreams for Bar National, or Bar Nash as it’s known in SJD. After having worked in Morzine for the last 3 years, 2 of those at the Aubergarde Hotel, Craig thinks, along with a team of good friends, he’s ready to take on the challenge. “We reckon that together we have the experience, motivation and skills to make the Nash a great success”. Continuing to serve the pizza Bar Nash is so famous for, he wants to add to the menu and also the calendar of events with quizzes, pool and a jukebox “stuffed full of amazing music”. He’s also promising to keep the popular 2 4 1 pizza nights that locals have grown so accustomed to. 

The obvious change both of these businessmen are hoping to bring is to make SJD a destination that’s open for the whole year. Much like the rest of the Portes du Soleil, Saint Jean goes to sleep in the interseason, wakes for a few weeks in the summer before going back to bed until winter. Olive and Craig both believe this doesn’t need to be the case.  With a community consisting of people living in the area permanently, there’s a real cry from locals for somewhere to go that doesn’t involve them having to get a taxi to Morzine or Les Gets. 
 
Both Olive and Craig have big ideas for the future but believe they’re realistic and will be popular with tourists and locals alike. Opening in June, with a new name, L’Amandier, or “Le bouche a orielle” (word of mouth) as it’ll now be called, will be throwing a big, “hello world”, party for the Fete de la Musique on the 25th. Similarly, Bar Nash will open its newly refurbished doors in the middle of June with a big independence day party on the 4th July. It’ll be interesting to see how these two venues will cope going up against each other for the limited custom of the summer contingent, but it’s certainly exciting times ahead for Saint Jean d’Aulps. As Craig so aptly put “ you heard it here first!”