Emile's Restaurant & Emile Mooser

(This was taken before I know much more about Emile's Restaurant... e.g, that it was no longer in operation!!!)



The parking lot attached to the restaurant formerly known as Emile's was founded by its namesake Emile Mooser in 1973 under the name "Emile's Swiss Affair" after two prior restaurants ("Archie's Steakhouse" and "Elias", a Greek restaurant) had closed their doors. The restaurant specialized in Swiss, Italian, and French cuisine, and was a powerful force for fundraising for multiple charities and causes.

In December of 2010, however, Emile pleaded No Contest to possession of child pornography, and faces three years in prison. The owners to whom Emile had sold the restaurant in 2006 sued him as well, claiming misrepresentation and concealment of information. In the remaining two or three months, the restaurant and adjacent parking lot have been vandalized and mostly neglected for a great deal of time, likely due to the association of the name to the debacle. The space that was once bright at night is now dark even during the day.