We stand firmly on the strength of our history

In 1962, Åke Johansson brought with him the knowledge and craft he had honed at Paris’s legendary Ritz Hôtel and Stockholm’s cherished institutions – Riche, Teatergrillen and Stallmästaregården – and opened a small self-service restaurant with a beer bar at the old S:t Erik Fair. There, amid the clatter of trays and the hum of cheerful conversation, Mässrestauranger was born – rooted in Åke’s unwavering belief: no wish is ever too small when it comes to caring for a guest.

Attentiveness, sensitivity, and a careful, thrifty sense of hospitality guided everything he did. Nothing was ever to be wasted – not an ingredient, not an opportunity. That philosophy quickly became the family’s compass.

In 1968, Peter Lippich joined Åke, and together they began to build something greater. From a modest kitchen, they served lunches to as many as 900 guests a day – with only 300 seats. It was a logistical puzzle that shaped our ability to deliver swiftly, gracefully, and with a smile, even when the orders stretched into the thousands.

When, at the end of the 1960s, the City of Stockholm drew up plans for the new Stockholmsmässan in Älvsjö, Mässrestauranger was there from the very first shovel of earth. The S:t Erik restaurant – designed for 700 guests – was fitted with what was then state-of-the-art kitchen technology, alongside a café, kiosk, and pub. Beneath the chandeliers and in the scent of freshly baked bread, the vision continued to grow.

In 2012, we took a step south, to Malmömässan, where we opened the restaurants Cloud and Forest. Just as in Stockholm, we transformed the exhibition halls into bustling meeting places, with extra cafés and a banquet floor ready for evenings to remember.

Today, the company is carried forward with the same warmth of family by sisters Maria Stridh and Kerstin Johansson, together with their mother, Karin. Maria, the third generation of the family in the restaurant trade, is CEO of Mässrestauranger, leading a team who take pride, every day, in delivering care on a plate – whether it be coffee for two, a lunch buffet for a thousand, or a gala dinner for many more.

From the very first sandwich cake at the old S:t Erik Fair to today’s grand banquets, much has changed. Yet the love of food, of guests, and of the moments we share together remains. And that is our promise: you will feel that warmth in every bite.