A popular family of Estonian restaurants has expanded to Helsinki.
Martti Siimann is the man behind the Estonian restaurant favored by many Finnish tourists. The chain of Siigur restaurants he manages includes, among others, Tallinn’s Noa, Tuljak and Paju Villa.
Now Siimann also operates in Finland. In the summer, he opened the Tar restaurant in Helsinki’s Tervasaari. What made you expand the restaurant family to Finland?
– Estonia is too small, he says.
Siimann had been thinking about expanding operations outside his home country for a long time, and Finland was quite a natural direction.
– We have always had Finnish customers, and we wanted to get closer to them now that there are fewer people visiting Estonia.
The third reason was that Siimann’s good friend Jasper Pääkkönen acquired Tervasaari’s old barn, which was considered the most suitable place for a new restaurant.
In addition to Pääkkönen and Siimanni, the founding trio of the restaurant includes an Estonian restaurateur Tõnis Siigur.
Tar is Martti Siimann’s first restaurant in Finland. Pasi Liesimaa
Initial difficulties
The opening of the story did not go completely smoothly. Siimann updates, for example, how slow it has been to restore the old house to its current condition. The project lasted three years in total.
Customer flows have also varied. According to Siimann, the summer went surprisingly well, autumn has been quieter. Especially in October, it felt like people couldn’t quite find the place.
– The first year is always difficult, says Siimann with the experience of many restaurants.
The old barn in Helsinki’s Tervasaari is now part of the restaurant Tari. Pasi Liesimaa
Differences between Finland and Estonia
However, there have been a lot of reservations for the Christmas season – and here is one thing that separates Finnish and Estonian customers. According to Siimanni, Estonia does not have a similar little Christmas tradition that fills restaurants already in November.
According to Siimanni, running a restaurant in Finland is different from what it is in Estonia. For example, personnel costs are higher and the position of trade unions is stronger.
One clear difference is related to the tipping culture.
– I once talked to a Finnish restaurateur and told him that I think I only know three times when I haven’t left a tip in a restaurant. He replied that he must have tipped himself three times.
Since tips are not distributed in Finland, according to the restaurateur, this must be taken into account in salaries.
– In the country, in the country’s way.
Actor Jasper Pääkkönen is one of the founders of the restaurant. Photo from the opening of Tari in the summer. ATTE KAJOVA
New to Tallinn as well
Siimanni’s chain also expanded in Estonia this year, when it opened a restaurant called Fume in Tallinn’s Rotermann area. It is by no means the only novelty restaurant in Tallinn.
– A lot of them have been opened. I would imagine that within a year there have been more than a thousand customer places.
So where does Siimann himself eat when he goes to a restaurant in Tallinn? Does he have any favorites?
– I try to visit all the new places, he says. Among the newly opened restaurants, he mentions Moon and Cafe Tempo.
– But I don’t really have time to eat in restaurants. I usually eat at home, says Siimann.
– Last summer I sat with my wife on Noa’s terrace. Noa has been working for 11 years and he said that this is only the third time we are here together.