A surprising revelation from Kape Aihien about restaurant customers: They are not interested in one food

The confused world situation is also disciplining the restaurant industry, says chef Kari “Kape” Aihinen. However, he wants to hold on to the belief in something better.

We meet Aihinen in Robusto, his and Olli Kolun in a shared restaurant in Punavuori, Helsinki. The staff is baking in the kitchen right from the morning.

– As long as this world is this messed up and sad, I don’t think that there will be a lot of international business travelers coming to Finland. From an entrepreneur’s point of view, we lack business travelers, international people and business customers, says Aihinen.

– Times are tighter, and everyone is fighting for their customers. When the world is in such a situation as it is, we lack such positive energy to come to Finland.

He also mentions the telecommuting culture.

– Mondays used to be really good for us, but now they are not, because there is no work on Mondays anymore, and dozens of planes of business travelers don’t come here on Mondays.

The situation in the restaurant industry has remained challenging for several years, ever since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Aihinen believes that business travelers are currently heading to the peace of Lapland rather than to Helsinki.

– Restaurant Robusto will soon be two years old. After all, we opened in hard times. After the opening, there were strikes and snowstorms in January, Aihine recalls.

He predicts that the end of 2025 will be good for the restaurant, but the beginning of 2026 may be difficult in the industry.

These foods went out of fashion

At the moment, customers of Aihine’s restaurants are especially interested in sirloin steaks and soups.

– Shared food is no longer a trend, but more of an á la carte and brasserie culture. We want ready-made, clear portions. Corona perhaps killed its shareability.

Vegetarian food accounts for about 4 percent of Robusto’s turnover. On a large scale, Finns still mostly eat meat and fish in restaurants, says Aihinen.

The average purchase amount of customers has decreased.

– When you don’t have money, you don’t come here to splurge and order a bottle of Dom Perignon, a seven-course menu and a cellar wine package to go with it. Yes, consumption habits have become more precise.

However, according to Aihinen, Robusto and Roster’s customers still usually come to eat according to the long formula and eat the menu and take a wine package along with it.

– Visiting a restaurant has become a bigger entity than just the food, and I even claim that the importance of the service beats the importance of the food 60-40 these days.

Through patience

Aihinen feels that the world is at a standstill, but he has suggestions for reviving the restaurant industry.

– Food and beverage taxation should be lowered so that we can set lower prices. Customers would be able, so to speak, to visit restaurants more often with a lighter wallet, he says.

Tourists should also be interested in Finland as a country. More restaurant customers from elsewhere are needed here.

– Is it a Eurovision win or a World Cup gold?

Aihinen also thinks about how to get employees interested in a low-paying industry where hard shift work is done.

– Young people’s need for free time is greater than that of someone born in the 70s.

– What more could I give? I would like to pay more, but since other costs have increased so much in recent years, I really can’t.

Aihinen says that he tries to be an example of how one can end up winning through difficulties – but patience is needed.

– At the age of 22, I graduated from restaurant school. Then for six years I struggled with whether I should be an athlete, a coach or Alanko to cook. At the age of 28, I made the decision to go to Stadi to cook in Hollywood, and we are still on that path.

– Be kind to yourself and listen to what you want. You don’t have to be the best chef in the world when you’re nineteen. You have to have a good attitude and a strong will to do dune.

From the point of view of a restaurant entrepreneur, he emphasizes two words in a difficult situation: patience and faith.

– If one of them cheats, we’re screwed. Then it’s worth putting a note on the hatch.

The calendar is full

– I’ve had top staff and extremely long working relationships, Aihinen is happy.

The longest working relationship with Olli Kolu has lasted 20 years.

– Today, the best reward is that the staff is doing well, and I want to move my staff forward. With us, you can always train yourself and compete, and I support.

– Just like in a marriage, sometimes there is an argument and we get over it. When I get out of bed in the morning, I know I’m in great shape, says Aihinen.

The chef admits that he works a lot, but is happy. Spring is getting busy, but the more detailed content of the calendar cannot be revealed yet.

– I have a wonderful job. I can be a slave to my own calendar, but in the same breath, there should be more in front of the mirror that I have to work so much.

– When I look at next spring, I have said to my friend that we should try to love each other. If we can survive until Midsummer, then we are tough guys, says Aihinen.

The tendency to work a lot is inherited, he says. The mother was an entrepreneur of an underwear store and the father worked a long day until he picked up the son from hockey practice in the evening.

– I want to show papa and dad upstairs that I can handle the job, but I wouldn’t be able to do the work if it wasn’t wonderful, meaningful or successful.

– When my publicity started, I was taken by the fact that I, a small boy from Turku, would come to Stadi and the phone would ring, and I would be offered a lot of work. I’ve done something right in that I don’t have to ruin work. I’m really happy about it, maybe even a little proud and above all taken, says Aihinen.