FM: Mr. Herrmann, “I am the brand” – there aren't many personalities to whom this statement applies better than to you. Do you see this as a curse or a blessing?
AH: First of all – I'm Alex. And to your question: The sentence “I am the brand” is seen as such from the outside. I know that, but it's not true. The truth is: We are the brand. The Alexander Herrmann brand is not an individual person. I bring together a selected team, some of whom have been by my side for decades. I'm just the tip of the iceberg.
FM: Every successful brand has a story. What do you need to know to be able to correctly classify the success of the Alexander Herrmann brand?
AH: I grew up here in this hotel. My parents sent me to one table or the other as a little boy and I said hello in a friendly way. They were often good friends of my father who I did not know. But they knew me. When I went to the bakery, everyone knew my name. It took a bit longer for the other people of the same age. If I had done anything somewhere, they would let you know here at the hotel. That means: I grew up in an environment in which it was always clear that we are looking at what you are doing. I've always been watched. Therefore, the question of course or blessing does not arise. Being exposed and dealing with it is my natural action.
FM: Good training for everything that should happen.
AH: When I started my shows on television, it was a logical development for me. Being visible in a mass medium hasn't changed anything for me. Except perhaps that I was now approached at the airport in Munich and not at the pharmacy in Neuenmarkt. Enduring notoriety is something completely natural for me.
FM: So there was no fixed strategy that you followed when building and developing the Alexander Herrmann brand.
AH: No. I was born into it. This may also explain the fact that I don't notice my media image at all. I'm just me.
A computer called an apple
FM: But you had your brand image “AH Alexander Herrmann” professionally developed.
AH: You have to give the child a name. The logo is highly recognizable and can be used flexibly. But I think that the brand name sometimes takes on absurd features. There is a computer manufacturer that is called “Apple” and has named its most successful model after an apple variety, “Macintosh”. It works thanks to professional consistency and strong brand management. It requires a concise and often logically obvious idea, which is then implemented with professionals. Our restaurant was called “Alexander Herrmann” and not “Post” for a few years only because I wanted to take advantage of my name's good Google ranking. It had become a brand that my TV presence had helped build.
FM: So it wasn't about putting yourself in the foreground as a person.
AH: Absolutely not. I just listened to the search engine. And maybe back to your question: The only strategy I've always followed was success in terms of development and growth.
FM: A good but certainly bold strategy for a catering establishment that is based in Wirsberg in the Franconian Forest and not in Munich on Odeonsplatz.
AH: Rationally speaking, it is absolutely impossible for us to operate one of the largest two-star restaurants in Germany here in Wirsberg. From the outside world, Upper Franconia's tourist image – I say this with a lot of sympathy – can be expanded.
Fuck normal. I want magic. <span class="quote-author">Alexander Herrmann, Star Chef and Restaurant Owner</span>
As a result of the emigration of the porcelain industry and weaving mills, much economic strength is missing. Why did guests always come to us anyway? Because we were shown as a gourmet restaurant on the route calculation between Hamburg and Munich. In the first ten to 15 years, the name Alexander Herrmann, which became known on television, played a decisive role in making Upper Franconia more aware that we were found and were able to grow. The name, not the person. Because even back then, other people were at least as important for success.
A 13 on a scale from 1 to 10
FM: Musicians have the Grammys, actors have the Oscars, chefs have stars and bonnets. How important are awards for the value of the Alexander Herrmann brand?
AH: On a scale of 1 for unimportant to 10 for very important? 13! In our industry, awards are the most reliable proof of quality. When we got the first star in 2008, it was extremely important as confirmation. In 2019, the second star came, and the response was immense. We created this star with our mindset alone – we wanted it and were ready for it. The awards ceremony in Berlin was a great, unforgettable experience for all of us. We won together and celebrated together. Of course, the skeptics came back afterwards and said “Be careful, you can lose a star again very quickly.” Sure, but I'd rather live with the risk of losing something than living with the situation of never having had it.
FM: Corona came in 2020, i.e. one year after the second star.
AH: And we made the best of it by perfecting our idea of fermenting food. Even during Corona, we purchased the agreed quantities of food from our regional suppliers. That was important to us, as the products and quantities are grown especially for us. We are a reliable partner who keeps our promises and who you can count on even in difficult times. But where to put it if no guests are allowed into the restaurant? Fermentation gave and still gives us the opportunity to capture, preserve and experience the best taste of our region. To do this, you have to harvest the food at the best time, preserve it and then store it well. With fermentation, we use grandma's knowledge for our future.
FM: Can you give an example from Food Lab Anima?
AH: Within two weeks, we get 350 kilos of cherries from the region. We cut them in half and make them durable by placing them in an amaretto that we prepared the year before from the seeds of the previous harvest. So we don't throw anything away and intensify the flavor at the same time.
The importance of meaningfulness
FM: Old-fashioned and contemporary at the same time.
AH: In addition to a special treat, we create a sense of purpose that is extremely important for our guests. Most of them take our “Behind the Scenes” discovery tour through the kitchen and food lab. In doing so, we teach them our concept of regionality, how consciously we handle fruit and vegetables, meat and fish. We talk about how an animal grows up and lives with us. Later, our guests are happy at the table because they know that they are doing everything right that evening. You can enjoy.
FM: For a few months now, your restaurant at the Posthotel has been called “Aura by Alexander Herrmann & Tobias Bätz.” So you're taking the Alexander Herrmann brand back a bit further.
AH: I do that because I know that I can completely rely on Tobi. He is the one who manages everyday life and develops the restaurant. For me, the renaming was a huge step and a visible sign that we had created something bigger than my name. We have the Aura with two stars – and we have Anima, our Future Lab, which deals with the preservation and fermentation of food. I don't know any other company that communicates this so clearly. For me, this is consistent and future-oriented brand management, which also makes us more marketable. With this step, we are igniting the next stage.
FM: Could you imagine just calling the restaurant “Aura”, i.e. creating a brand that doesn't have both of your names?
AH: The names make it clear who is behind the restaurant. Not more, but also not less. My current concept is that my name is and remains associated with all restaurants and projects. So the Imperial, the Fränk′ness and the Palazzo in Nuremberg and the Aura and the Anima here in Wirsberg. Even our kiosk in the forest swimming pool a few blocks away is called “Kiosk 1955 Alexander Herrmann”.
Always a bit more special
FM: What is the unique selling point of the Alexander Herrmann brand?
AH: For Alexander Herrmann, the restaurateur: Where my name is on it, it is special. Even simple dishes are special to us. Our curry sausage in the swimming pool? Especially. We can't help it, it's our DNA. We're always a bit more special. And for Alexander Herrmann, the media guy: the blue chef's jacket, the now gray hair – and my role as coach. No matter which TV format you watch with me: I always accompany people. I want to get the best out of them and make them as successful as possible. This applies to the TV shows and also to my employees.
FM: In restaurants, the tone can be a bit rougher. How do you react to mistakes made by your employees?
AH: I've seen despots and swore I'd never be like that. Being able to make mistakes and having the backing of the boss is essential for an employee's development. It is important to talk about mistakes and correct them. But it's even more important to talk to people about what they've done right and well. That's when they flourish and gain self-respect. They dare to make decisions, become more responsible, more confident, simply better. In this way, kitchen and service employees become luminaries – top employees with an enormous amount of specialist and background knowledge.
Suddenly dispensable
FM: How do guests react when you're not in the restaurant in person?
AH: In the early days of my TV presence, the guests were already expecting me. And some people from the surrounding area are still disappointed today when I can't greet them in person. But I deliberately included Tobi Bätz in my name in 2016 and thus gave him authority in the restaurant. From that moment on, the question of whether Herrmann was there was no longer so important. Our brand stands for development, and development is only possible through change.
FM: How did Tobias Bätz react when you told him that he would soon be on the name tag?
AH: Tobi only saw this when the new sign was already on. Why should he know in advance? That was my decision alone. He had desire and energy and also used this challenge for his personal development. How often did we have discussions where I said “I wouldn't do it” – and he did it after all. When it worked then, we were both happy. He because he was right – I because I had trusted him.
FM: A bold decision to relinquish responsibility for something that is so closely linked to one's own name.
AH: You need the courage to lose control. I don't know what's happening in my restaurants in Nuremberg right now. But I know that my teams are doing it in the best possible way there because I worked it out with them in the best possible way beforehand. If you don't manage to relinquish some of your responsibilities, you're standing in the way of development. Of course, you have to prepare it well and be aware of the most important things. I am impressed by my teams at all locations and also trust the people of Nuremberg to be a star in the foreseeable future.
FM: You are active as a brand ambassador for several companies. What does a product need to become a successful brand?
AH: It takes the energy to do something with you. Sounds easy, but it's hard. Many products can't do that. This is often due to the fact that companies do not convincingly communicate the product benefits. An interesting benefit always has energy because it awakens emotions.
FM: What emotions do Fissler pots arouse?
AH: Fissler is currently reinventing itself. New boss, new products, new spirit. I like that because it is a moment that I can help shape. I like to design. I am also impressed that Fissler has high standards of quality and precision in order to create long-term values made in Germany. And that's been the case since 1845.
FM: Are you a dominant advertising partner?
AH: I want to be involved in the design and I'm happy when something works. But I don't go anywhere and say I'm the ultimate wisdom. I prefer to develop something together with others. It quickly becomes apparent with whom you can take which path. Sometimes a collaboration comes to an end again, and I always strive for continuity for the sake of credibility.
From Biolek to JBK
FM: In your opinion, who has paved the way for top gastronomy to television – even beyond cooking skills?
AH: You may be the best cook, but you may not be suitable for being on TV. Eckart Witzigmann was the greatest chef we ever had in Germany and may have. He was rarely seen in the media. Alfred Biolek was the one who opened the door to cooking on television. Of course, there were people like Max Inzinger before, who was, by the way, exceptionally good. But with his friendly nature and his non-perfectionism, Biolek has brought households the confidence that they can cook sophisticated dishes at their own stoves. And then Johannes B. Kerner came with “Kerners Köche” on ZDF on Saturday afternoon.
He has made cooking on television – and many chefs too – great. With his name, with his authority, with this station. Everything that came after that was ultimately based on this concept.
FM: Let's take a look ahead: What else are you up to, where are you drawn to?
AH: If you start something at 30 or 40, time is on your side. At 50, you know: No matter what you do – you must have it finished within 15 years. I've seen colleagues lose strength at 60 or 65. You can't keep going in this industry forever. But I want to go ahead and not keep saying “Today I'm going home a little earlier.” That's why I have to make my plans in such a way that I have led them to success in ten years. I know that and I'm facing it. However, I must say that the framework conditions have not become easier in recent years – how do I say this most diplomatically now – politically, economically, socially.
FM: Are there any new projects possible for you, perhaps even beyond Franconia?
AH: Who knows, maybe we'll open a pop-up restaurant in the Brazilian rainforest in a few years. But no, even though growth is a natural law for survival: It is currently not my strategy to open a restaurant in another region or even abroad.
FM: Which three attributes best characterize you?
AH: Strong-willed, creative, free-time lover. And a fourth: humor.
FM: Every good brand needs a good slogan: What would be the right slogan for the Alexander Herrmann brand?
AH: Fuck normal. I want magic.
A conclusion
by Hans-Peter Brendel, owner of BERGWERK Strategie und Marke GmbH
A strong brand needs pragmatism, a good gut feeling and the team. Alexander Herrmann describes this in an excellent way.
It is the person who acts, not the tool.
The team leader – the coach – and the team determine success.
First-class owner-managed companies are characterized by these characteristics. Alexander Herrmann puts it in a nutshell: There is no need for theoretical science – a consistent strategy, willpower and sense of purpose. Every brand is directly related to behavior and values. That is exactly what good strategy and brand work is about.
This text was translated automatically.
- Alexander Herrmann: Thoroughbred entrepreneur
- Owner of the restaurants: Posthotel Wirsberg, Fränk'ness Nürnberg, Imperial Nürnberg
- Number of employees: 120
- MICHELIN stars: 2*
*As of June 2023
