Don't give up - the restaurant industry will get back on its feet

When and how will the restaurant industry start to recover from the coronavirus crisis? Experienced chefs believe that the situation will be brighter in the summer.

We asked restaurant industry influencers Aki Wahlman , Pekka Terävät and Linnea Vihonen , as well as Veli-Matti Aittoniemi from MaRa Travel and Restaurant Services, what their expectations are for the summer. There are many good things in sight.

“Our industry is agile and responds quickly to changes”

Chef and entrepreneur Aki Wahlman, Foody Allen Oy:

"There are not as many losers in the restaurant industry as people think. The situation has also brought good developments and forced the restaurant culture to renew itself."

Take away is a significant part of the business of the future. Customer numbers can be predicted better when some of the food is sold outside the restaurant. A new service window has also opened: 3–5 p.m., when most people pick up food to take home. This pre-dinner culture is worth taking advantage of.

Grocers operating in conjunction with food markets (grocery and restaurant) are becoming more common. An interesting product can generate a lot of volume. It is also good marketing when a restaurant is brought into a grocery store in this way.

The restaurant industry has been forced to learn how to communicate in its current predicament. We have helped many companies understand what to communicate, to whom, how, and what it achieves.

I dare say that the restaurant industry is recovering faster than any other industry. Last summer already showed that our industry is agile and can react to changes quickly.

I believe that the situation will start to improve in the summer, when vaccination has progressed. Restaurants may even be busy in late summer. Domestic tourism is picking up, and local vacations are thriving. The most challenging part is for restaurants that live off tourism.

People's consumer behavior has changed, but it is possible to succeed in the industry with the latest knowledge.”

Aki Wahlman's company Foody Allen is a content production, marketing and communications agency operating in the food industry, whose services include food product development and restaurant and food tourism concepts.

“It is safe to go to restaurants”

Restaurateur and chef Pekka Terävä , Olo Group Oy:

"Now we're taking it one day at a time. I wonder if the situation will start to improve once Finns have been vaccinated at least once."

I would venture to guess that it will be mid-May before the restaurants open again. I believe, or at least hope, that the summer will be like last summer. The hope is of course to get all the restaurants open. What kind of circus entertainment will be built around them is another question.

The culture of eating lunch will definitely change. I would hope that buffets would change to a service culture. We will definitely see a redistribution in the restaurant industry over the next year.

My message to customers is that you can come to a restaurant with confidence. Restaurants have been safe to this day. Cleanliness and hygiene are definitely the strengths of the restaurant industry. We need to be able to show them to customers as well.

We can't just sit around and wait for better times. We're constantly reviewing what we can do and where we can be involved. Everything we can do has to be done. We have to do our own thing as well as we can."

Olo Group Oy, a restaurant company owned by Pekka Terävä, Petri Lukkarinen and Teuvo Salminen, includes the restaurants Olo, Emo, Garden by Olo, Nude and Villa Störsvik, as well as the online wine store Bottlescouts.

“A lot of terrace permits are needed now”

Chef and food designer Linnea Vihonen , Linnea & Lobsters Oy:

"Hopefully, terrace permits will be distributed in large numbers and perhaps in a more relaxed manner, as being outdoors will continue to be emphasized in the future. Terrace permits and allowing outdoor events are a great way for cities to come to grips with the restaurant industry."

In terms of the industry's recovery, it is time to think about how restrictions are set and how they are clearly guided forward. I hope those giving instructions will be patient. The current situation has been difficult because the instructions are unclear and have been given in periods of a couple of weeks. Regional differences also raise questions. Will restaurants be opened with the same criteria in different parts of Finland?

The coronavirus pandemic has been a time of crisis for everyone, including the restaurant industry. The winners have been those who had the guts and the opportunity to reinvent themselves. Not all ideas have necessarily been sales successes, but the industry has managed to do some good PR stunts, for example.

I hope people will start rebuilding the restaurant culture with even greater enthusiasm. It is worth enjoying the experiences offered by local entrepreneurs and restaurants as soon as it is possible again.”

Linnea Vihonen is also known for the TV shows Kokkisota, What's for dinner today? and Maalla, merelella ja lautasella.

“There may be a lot of demand at first”

Veli-Matti Aittoniemi, Deputy CEO of the Finnish Tourism and Restaurant Services Association MaRa:

"Last summer, the restaurant industry's turnover was only slightly in the red. If the infection rates can be brought down and people are vaccinated well into the summer, last year's phenomenon could repeat itself. However, our member advisory board is currently saying that companies are really tight.

In the best case scenario, the industry's recovery would begin properly perhaps next autumn. After all, there could be a lot of demand at first.

Our restaurant dining trend survey last fall gives hope. It found that almost three out of four consumers plan to use restaurant services in the future as much as before the coronavirus crisis and 12 percent more than before. There is also plenty of demand for restaurant food delivery services: 13 percent of consumers plan to use them more than before.

The future prospects for restaurants were really good before the coronavirus. They were a real success story. This is supported in Finland by, among other things, the fact that young people want and know how to use restaurant services.

The successful companies of the future will be those that know what the new customer base wants or come up with new, interesting things to offer. The most challenging part is finding a business idea that will set you apart from the rest.”

Sad numbers

• In 2020, the industry's turnover decreased by 25.8 percent compared to the previous year and the number of employees decreased significantly.
• 72 percent of restaurants estimate that they will lose at least half of their turnover this spring compared to the same period in 2019.
• The threat of bankruptcy and business closures have increased in the first half of the year. 28 percent of restaurants are under threat of bankruptcy or have closed down, and 34 percent of pubs and nightclubs.
• The restaurant industry is a significant employer: 77,000 people work in the sector.

Sources: MaRa member survey and Statistics Finland