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."
