Two Schmucks' bar team quits amid Moe Aljaff departure

06 October, 2022

The Two Schmucks bar team worked its last shift last night, after all but one of the Barcelona bar’s bartenders quit. 

The exodus follows the departure of co-founder and co-owner Moe Aljaff, who has left the Schmuck or Die business after professional differences emerged among the bar’s partners.  

Two Schmucks was named number seven in The World’s 50 Best Bars just two days ago, with the walk-out coming after the bar’s final event during the week’s Barcelona Cocktail Experience. 

Six of the bar’s seven-strong team - Juliette Larrouy, Heena Kewalramani, Eliane Naeger, Aleksandra Gawryszczak, Lorenzo Ravarotto and Tarek Nixon - have now left, with only Christopher Stephan remaining. 

Aljaff told Drinks International that in recent months the partners’ vision for the future of the brand had diverged and that it was now time to move on.   

Larrouy added: “I was managing the bar but I was not linked to any of the problems between the owners.  The decision was super easy. I came here to work with AJ and Moe. It’s Moe’s energy - basically, the bar is him [Moe] and if he’s leaving there’s no point in staying.” 

Aljaff, who founded the bar with AJ White and James Bligh in 2017, went on to co-create Lucky Schmuck and Fat Schmuck during the pandemic having sought new investors.  

The departure sees him cut all ties with the Schmuck or Die company, with severance negotiations ongoing.  

Aljaff now intends to move to the US to open a new bar. "It’s bittersweet," he said. "I’m obviously sad to leave behind everything we’ve built, when AJ and I started it from nothing but I’m also really excited to start working on my plans in the US, it’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to work.

"First, I’m looking forward to learning about a new market. I’m speaking with some operators to try to understand the bar business a bit better." 





Digital Edition

Drinks International digital edition is available ahead of the printed magazine. Don’t miss out, make sure you subscribe today to access the digital edition and all archived editions of Drinks International as part of your subscription.

Comment

La'Mel Clarke

Service isn’t servitude: the skill of hosting

La’Mel Clarke, front of house at London’s Seed Library, looks at the forgotten art of hosting and why it deserves the same respect as bartending.

Instagram

Facebook