Why Marlena chefs quit Michelin-starred restaurant
The past 14 months at Marlena were challenging for chefs David Fisher and Serena Chow Fisher, who, after three years, resigned from the restaurant in June.
In their Instagram post last Friday, the husband-wife duo said they had conflicts with owner Stephan Roulland regarding the vision for Marlena but stopped short of specific details. A week later, the chefs told SFGATE that a series of events had led them to their decision, which included an unfavorable contract earlier this year and opposition to transferring ownership of the Marlena name.
“The owner wanted to restructure [our] deal, which did take money out of our pockets,” David told SFGATE. “We also tried to get the name Marlena in writing in this contract, and he refused. That was a real trust-breaker for us. Then a lot of things spiraled out of control.”
Ryan Cole, Marlena’s former restaurant consultant, told SFGATE that he wrote up David and Serena’s initial contract on behalf of Roulland when Marlena opened in 2020. He called the deal “risky” but one that was “very favorable to ownership” if the restaurant was a huge success. Despite the innate hurdles caused by the pandemic, Marlena earned a Michelin star within its first year of operation in 2021, and Esquire Magazine named Serena pastry chef of the year, also in 2021.
But the accolades didn’t make a difference when it came to the 2023 renegotiation. When the new contract was presented in January, it changed the structure of the chefs' compensation. They went back and forth on negotiations for six weeks to no avail until the chefs issued their letter of resignation in May. When Roulland asked if they would reconsider, they said they would only stay for a set period under the condition that they could take ownership of the Marlena name, which “we feel rightfully belongs to us,” Serena said.
“It just left a really bad taste in our mouth,” Serena said of the 2023 contract. “At the end of that negotiation, we stated that we will be pursuing other opportunities. Our relationship with [Roulland] was severely broken. It got to a point where it was really hard to be in that space.”
Courtesy of Marlena Restaurant
Adding to the tension was Cole’s abrupt firing in April, which occurred without Serena and David’s prior knowledge.
Marlena was a personal project for David, who named the restaurant after his late mother. According to David, Roulland suggested that the restaurant name would be given “back to us one day.” It’s unclear when the owner’s sentiment changed.
In a statement, Roulland, who owns Bouillon LLC, told SFGATE that he believes Marlena is a “significant business asset” and shared that he intends to reopen Marlena in August under the same name, pending its new leadership.
“When David and Serena joined this project and became employees of Bouillon LLC, we agreed to change the name of the restaurant to Marlena,” Roulland said. “Over the past three years, Bouillon has invested significant money, time, and energy to bolster the culinary vision and create a restaurant with significant value.” He added, “We are grateful to David and Serena for their invaluable contributions during their tenure at Marlena, which was marked by the challenges of the pandemic, and we wish them continued success.”
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Tensions at Marlena date back to April 2022, when the building underwent a soft retrofit and remodel that was intended to last six weeks. The project would end up taking more than five months to complete when Roulland allegedly failed to get permits needed to begin the soft retrofit, Cole said.
“He had hired some bad actors who did not do what they said they did,” Cole said. “We were stuck in limbo where we couldn't do any work because there was no permit.”
To help stay connected to their customers, David and Serena launched a limited pop-up at Hotel Zeppelin called Summer Camp amid the extended renovation. Cole said that the pop-up was not a financial success despite the time and investment it took to run it. Marlena eventually opened by September 2022, but the waiting game had strained the chefs' relationship with the owner.
“The trust just deteriorated,” David told SFGATE.
Serena and David stressed that they never intended to leave Marlena but stand by their choice in light of the pressure they felt to enter negotiations. What they’ll miss most about operating Marlena is the Bernal Heights community, which embraced it since its opening. Along the way, customers visited the affordable fine dining restaurant to celebrate personal milestones to anniversaries.
“We had a good thing going,” Serena said. “It's hard to leave behind a whole network of people that have been supporting us.”
“This was our first baby,” David added. “It was very successful up until the very end.”
David and Serena plan to debut a new project called 7 Adams in the fall in partnership with the Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group.
Source: SFGATE
