What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of IKEA stores... Be honest, it was meatballs, right?
Forget the furniture! IKEA is taking their famous meatballs and Swedish inspired dishes to the next level. The company is thinking about making stand-alone restaurants in the near future!
According to Fast Company, the well-known furniture store racked up $1.8 billion dollars worth of food in 2016 alone. They've also analyzed that 30 percent of Ikea Food's customers are really just there for the food.
Ikea has ventured into the food operating business previously with pop-up shops in London Paris, and Oslo. Though the restaurants will be merely an extension of the meals they already have, people have already shown much approval and excitement about the new venture.
Ikea Food’s managing director, Michael La Cour, says, "I firmly believe there is potential. I hope in a few years our customers will be saying, 'Ikea is a great place to eat—and, by the way, they also sell some furniture.'"