The restaurant with the most Michelin stars in Finland is closing down

Demo’s classic gym. Mika Remes

Demo, the restaurant with the most Michelin stars in Finland, is closing its operations.

The restaurant located on Helsinki’s Uudenmaa street turned 21 years old on January 21.

Just a couple of days after that, the founder, soul and chef of the restaurant Tommi Tuominen said Demon will be closing its doors permanently.

Demo has 18 Michelin stars. For a long time Tuominen also thought there were 17 stars, but while digging through the archives, he found a magazine story about the first star from 2006.

– It was a time before there were stickers on the door, there were websites or applications. The book came to the bookstore once a year, Tuominen laughs.

Ending the demo wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. During the 21 years, according to Tuominen, there have been many times when I felt like I was going to quit, there is no point in this.

There have been a couple of recessions over the years and fine dining has been declared dead at least five times.

– But you don’t take a milking cow to slaughter.

Now, however, the moment has come when Tuominen can still make the decision to quit on his own terms, and it won’t come from outside.

– I wanted to close the door while I can still decide for myself, and I don’t have to. For a long time now, I have been going through my own struggles to stop. Now that stage has already been passed and I am with you. Everything has its time. The demo opened as a child of its time and I was almost a child myself then. A lot has happened, Tuominen states.

An unfortunate change in recent years is the gentrification of the center of Helsinki. According to Tuominen, it is sad to watch. The change has been big. If that has been the goal of any party, it has succeeded well.

When Tuominen and Teemu Aura opened Demo on Uudenmaankatu, there were no neighbors there other than porn stores. In the wake of the demo, a popular restaurant cluster formed on the street.

Tuominen is confident about the future and the restaurant industry.

– The industry is not dying for anything. The restaurant industry is the coolest job ever. I wouldn’t trade for anything else. In this sector, the punt can’t go down as soon as the business cycle looks weaker. You have to have shockingly strong faith, keep your mouth shut, do your best and study more.

Tuominen promises that many new things are coming this year. During the spring, Katajanokka’s Sokeripala will open, among other things.