Berthold Kempinski

Berthold Kempinski (10 October 1843 – 14 March 1910) was a Prussian wine merchant, restaurateur and hotelier.

Biography

Kempinski was born in Raschkow, Province of Posen, Kingdom of Prussia (Raszków, Poland), he became a travelling salesman in winetrade in his home region. Kempinski and his younger brother operated a wine tavern at the Ring (Market Square) of Breslau (Wrocław). In 1872 he moved to Berlin and started a small premise at Kronenstraße and soon after the M. Kempinski & Co. wine restaurant at Friedrichstraße / Leipziger Straße junction.

The restaurant became popular for its huge selection of wine and seasonal delicacies like oysters and crayfish. Kempinski invented the table d'hôte for a fixed price (1,25 Mark) and the "half portion" for (0,75 Mark, later 0,85 Mark) which made fine dining affordable for the middle-class population. In an obituary the Berliner Tageblatt called him one of the most popular men of Berlin.

Berthold Kempinski is seen as the founder of the Kempinski brand of luxury hotels.