Mässrestauranger has a history that is unique in its kind
In the year 1962, Åke Johansson started a self-service restaurant and a beer bar in the old St. Eriks fair at Storängsbotten in Stockholm. Before that, he had a long and solid career; he had worked, among other things, at Ritz in Paris and later many years at Richie, Theatre grill, the Stallmästaregården and even ran his own restaurant in the town hall vaults at Kungsholmen.
Åke’s greatest commitment was to stress the importance of attention and sensitivity to guests. No trouble was too big to satisfy the guest. The other important core values were economical management i.e. to not let anything go wasted, and a clear business sense.
Earning money has been the prerequisite for the development that followed.
According to Åke Johansson, the most important thing is to listen to the guests and meet their requests promptly. It is not about just providing food but doing it carefully. It is a matter of being able to see and understand what is happening around the guest.
In 1968, Peter Lippisch joined the company and together with Åke started building Mässrestauranger. It started in a simple kitchen with many guests, sometimes up to 900 a day in a place designed for seating 300. One of the greatest challenges was to gather staff and manage the logistics. Here, the foundation was laid for organizing large orders, making purchases, hiring staff, cooking and serving food sometimes to thousands of guests.
Moving to the Stockholm International Fair in Älvsjö
In the late 60’s, the Stockholm County planned a new exhibition ground – the Stockholm International Fair. Mässrestauranger came in at an early stage. The new restaurant, St. Erik was designed for 700 guests and was, with the new modern kitchen technology, adapted for large orders. In addition, the facilities comprised a café, a kiosk and a pub.
Development and expansion
Mässrestauranger has developed and expanded at the same rate as the Stockholm International Fair. A good and close cooperation with the trade fair management and agility in responding to new needs have been important for the development. Hand in hand, we have followed trends, business cycles and have together discovered new audiences and needs.
New goals and challenges
Today, the company is owned and run by sisters, Maria Stridh and Kerstin Johansson and the mother Karin Johansson. The CEO is Maria Stridh who is the third generation in the catering industry.
“As one of the leading companies in the industry, we are currently involved in promoting industry related issues which, among other things, concern the environment, recycling and ecology. Mässrestauranger is always looking for new inspiration and influences to be able to meet tomorrow's guests and their requests”, says Maria, CEO of Mässrestauranger.
