New strong Board for Classic Pizza Restaurants and Makaronitehdas Ny stark styrelse till Classic Pizza Restaurant och Makaronitehdas.

The futurist-genius Perttu P?l?nen, the known businessman and taxi-entrepreneur Heikki Kovanen and marketing-guru Ami Hasan are strengthening the well-known restaurant chain's operation.

The 25-year-old inventor, futurist, writer, speaker and composer Perttu P?l?nen have taken off as a media star. The wanted speaker was at a management seminar for the restaurant industry in Pyh? last fall. There he got to know the owner of Classic Pizza- and Makaronitehdas- restaurants and now ended up as a part of the board for both companies. The companies include 17 Classic Pizza Restaurants and 5 Makaronitehdas-restaurants.

-       In the board, I represent a perspective that shakes things up and awakens. As a young person, I am a product of my own time. I wanted to be a part of this project because this is a learning experience for me. I do not have previous knowledge of the restaurant industry, because earlier I have worked in technology and content creating, tells the multi-talented author of Tulevaisuuden Lukuj?rjestys Perttu P?l?nen.

Perttu is travelling a lot to events in Finland and has gotten to know the restaurants as a customer. When the travelling stopped due to the coronavirus, he got to try out the kitchen in his new home.

- Like many other Finnish people, I have gotten more interested in cooking. My speciality is a hamburger with avocado, cheese melted on the beef and sweet potato fries. In my pizza there always has to be mozzarella and cured salmon.

Proposals in the restaurants melted the heart

Technology is changing the restaurant industry in many ways, but it also has its limits, says the futurologist P?l?nen. 

-       When I lived in Silicon Valley in California, I went to a restaurant where my burger was made by a robot. The hamburger was fine, but the experience lacked feeling. A robot can make food, but not a good feeling as the staff can.

-       In Finland, we are due to the coronavirus now all working together and want to support the restaurants. I was just now for the first time in a restaurant since the corona-restrictions and it was so good and the feeling there was great!

In Classic Pizza the visionary heard, then on top of all other activity that is happening, people have proposed many times.

-       This melted my heart. Then the place has to be special. This is not an ordinary pizza place, this is a place where you like to be in and will enjoy your stay on every level.

Heikki Kovanen: The restaurants are living rooms

The Businessman Heikki Kovanen, who sold Kovanen-enterprises a few years ago knows what challenges family companies have as the previous chairman of the board for Perheyritysten liitto. As the chairman of the boards, Kovanen will bring orderliness to the restaurant operations: risks will be taken and we will stand out, but with control.

-       The Classic Pizzas and Makaronitehdas are familiar not just for me and my wife, but also our children and their families. In Finland, we will probably also go to the European model, where restaurants are like living rooms where you have a good time. Earlier the restaurants here were closed on Christmas, but nowadays on Christmas people go out to eat with the whole family, Kovanen describes the change.

Kovanen has worked together with restaurants and hotels when he was in the taxi-business. The restaurant business was a very important target group.

-       Now we just have to have faith that the strict rules for the restaurant business we have in Finland will be relieved. The market should take care of itself, the chairman of the board for Kovanen Capital Oy says.

Ami Hasan: Focusing on pizza and pasta has paid off

Marketing guru, chairman of the board for Hasan&Partners Ami Hasan has watched the story of Classic Pizza from the beginning. 

-       I live in Hanko during the summer, and I have Classic Pizza and Makaronitehdas being founded. The entrepreneurs Juha and Merja have focused on pizza and pasta and have created a successful service concept around them.

Hasan has done marketing for many international chains, such as McDonald’s and Burger King. 

-       Everything is about the customer experience. It’s born from the product, service and communication.

The meaning of technology is growing in every day doing in the restaurants. 

-       Ordering products and other practical things have been made with years of experience and stomach-feeling. In the future, artificial intelligence will tell very accurately how many customers are coming, what time, what they probably will eat and what the weather on the terrace will be. The custom made communication between customers and the restaurant will grow.

Juha Toivanen: New openings abroad 

Juha Toivanen, the CEO of CPR Finland, tells that this is the first time the company has a “real board”. Together with Perttu P?l?nen, Heikki Kovanen and Ami Hasan, the board will include Juha Toivanen and Classic Pizzas director of quality and development Merja Rahkola-Toivanen.

-       I have been on the board as a dictator for 25 years and done a lot of things by myself. A diverse board will help us see things with a new perspective, challenge us, bring knowledge and help visualize the future. 

The coronavirus brought uncertainty to the restaurant operations.

-       When the business will be back to the level of the “new normal”, we will make our next moves. The chain will grow nationally with the current and new concept. We will also expand franchise-partnerships.

The operations in Denmark and Sweden were closed due to the coronavirus. 

-       Denmark and Sweden were slow to grow, and without the coronavirus, we would have been able to make our restaurants take off after this year. After all, we did win the title for the Best pizza in Copenhagen 2020.

-       In the future, we will continue to expand abroad with a new strength that comes with the new professional board. We are looking for new locations all the time, says Toivanen.

www.classicpizza.fi www.makaronitehdas.fi

* * * * * * * * *

Futuristgeniet Perttu P?l?nen, taxibranchens aff?rsman Heikki Kovanen och marknadsf?ringsgurun Ami Hasan f?rst?rker verksamheten f?r det k?nda restaurangf?retaget.

25-?riga uppfinnaren, futurist, f?rfattare, talare och komposit?r Perttu P?l?nen har skjutit upp som en raket och blivit en mediestj?rna. Den efterfr?gade f?rel?saren h?ll tal i Pyh? f?rra h?sten p? ett seminarium f?r restaurangbranchen. Han tr?ffade ?garen till Classic Pizza och Makaronitehdas-restaurangerna d?r och hittade sig nu i den nya styrelsen f?r b?da f?retagen.

Kedjorna har tillsammans 17 Classic Pizza-restauranger och 5 Makaronitehdas-restauranger.

-Jag representerar en framtidsvinkel som skakar och vaknar. Och p.g.a. min unga ?lder ?r jag en produkt av min egen tid. Jag ville b?rja med detta projekt eftersom det h?r ?r en plats f?r mig att l?ra mig ocks?. Tidigare erfarenhet av restaurangverksamhet har jag inte, eftersom jag har gjort mer arbete inom teknik- och inneh?llsproduktion, s?ger f?rfattaren till Tulevaisuuden lukuj?rjestys-boken. 

Restaurangerna har blivit bekanta f?r Perttu d? han reser mycket omkring Finland. N?r resandet slutade p.g.a. koronaviruset slapp han prova p? sitt nya k?k hemma.

- Som manga andra finl?ndare har jag ocks? f?tt ny inspiration f?r matlagning. Min specialitet ?r hamburgare med avocado, ost som smultit p? biffen och batatfranskisar. Och i pizzan ska det definitivt finnas mozzarella och gravlax.

Friande i restaurangen sm?lte hj?rtat

Teknologin ?ndrar p? restaurangbranchen I framtiden p? m?nga olika s?tt, men inte gr?nsl?st. 

- D? jag bodde i Silicon Valley i Kalifornien var jag i en restaurang var en robot tillverkade min hamburgare. Det var en helt okej hamburgare, men visiten saknade st?mning och k?nsla av en upplevelse. En robot kan laga mat, men inte bra st?mning s? som personalen g?r.

-       I Finland jobbat alla nu tillsammans f?r att st?da restauranger. Sj?lv var jag nyss f?r f?rsta g?ngen efter koronabegr?nsningarna p? restaurang och hur gott det smakade och st?mningen var utm?rkt!  

              I Classic Pizza h?rde vision?ren, att man ocks? har friat i restaurangerna och till och med flere g?nger.

-       D? blev jag f?rtjust. D? m?ste st?llet vara n?got speciellt. Det ?r faktiskt inte fr?ga om n?gon vanlig pizzeria, utan om en plats var man verkligen trivs och njuter p? alla s?tt.

Heikki Kovanen: Restaurangerna ?r som vardagsrum

Aff?rsmannen Heikki Kovanen, som f?r n?gra ?r sen s?lde Kovanen-bolaget ?t svenskar vet som Familjef?retagarnas f?reningens f?re detta ordf?rande de utmaningar som familjef?retag har. Kovanen kommer som f?reningars ordf?rande att h?mta planering till restaurangverksamheten: risker ska man ta och st? ut, men man ska g?ra det kontrollerat. 

-       Classic Pizza och Makaronitehdas ?r bekanta f?r mig och in fru, och dessutom ocks? f?r v?ra barn och deras famijer. I Finland har man ocks? samma stil som i Europa, att restaurangerna ?r som vardagsrum var man umg?s. F?rr hade vi restaurangerna st?ngda vid julen, men nu g?r hela sl?kten ut p? restaurang ?ven d?, beskriver Kovanen.

              Kovanen har under sin tid som taxif?retagare gjort mycket samarbete med restauranger och hotell.    

       Restaurangbranchen var enligt honom en v?ldigt viktig m?lgrupp.

-       Nu m?ste vi bara ha hopp om att de strikta begr?nsningarna inom restaurangbranchen b?rjar frisl?ppas sm?ningom ocks? i Finland. Marknaden borde f? l?tas sk?ta om sig sj?lv, s?ger styrelsens ordf?rande i sitt f?retag Kovanen Capital Oy Heikki Kovanen.

Ami Hasan: Fokus p? pizza och pasta har l?nat sig

Marknadsf?ringsguru, styrelsens ord?rande p? Hasan&Partners Ami Hasan har f?ljt med Classic Pizzas historia fr?n b?rjan.

-       Jag ?r hang?bo p? sommaren och sett d? f?rsta Classic Pizzan och Makaronitehdas har grundats. F?retagarna Juha och Merja har fokuserat p? pizza och pasta, och kommit p? ett fungerande servicekonsept omkring dem.

              Hasan har gjort marknadsf?ring f?r internationella kedjor s? som McDonald’s och Burger King.

-       Allt ?r fast p? erfarenhet man ger g?sterna. Den kommer fr?n produkten, servicen och kommunikationen.

              Teknologins roll v?xer i vardagliga g?randet i restaurangerna.

-       Best?llningar och andra praktiska saker har man gjort med flera ?rs erfarenhet och magk?nsla. I forts?ttningen kommer artificiell intelligens ber?tta v?ldigt detaljerat hur mycket g?ster man kommer ha, vilken tid de kommer och vad de antagligen kommer best?lla och vad v?dret p? terassen kommer vara. Anpassade kommunikationens roll mellan g?ster och restaurangen kommer v?xa.

Juha Toivanen: Nya restauranger utomlands

CPR Finlands VD Juha Toivanen ber?ttar, att det h?r ?r f?rsta g?ngen f?retaget har en ”riktig styrelse”. F?rutom Perttu P?l?nen, Heikki Kovanen och Ami Hasan ?r ocks? Juha Toivanen och Classic Pizzas utveckligs- och kvalitetsdirekt?r Merja Rahkola-Toivanen i styrelsen. 

-       Jag har varit 25 ?r som diktator i styrelsen och gjort m?nga saker f?r mig sj?lv. En m?ngsidig styrelse ger b?ttre och ny perspektiv, utmanar, h?mtar erfarenhet och vision av framtiden.

               Koronaviruset h?mtade med sig os?kerhet till restaurangverksamheten.

-       D? verksamheten g?r tillbaka till s.k. ”new normal”-niv?n, s? g?r vi v?ra n?sta r?relser. Kedjan v?xer inom Finland med nuvarande och nya koncept. Vi expanderar ocks? franchise-verksamheten. 

              F?retagets verksamhet i Sverige och Danmark slutades p? grind av koronaviruset. 

-       Danmark och Sverige var l?ngsamma i utvecklingen och utan koronaviruset skulle vi f?tt dem att rulla efter detta ?r. I Danmark vann vi ju titeln f?r K?penhamns b?sta pizza 2020.

-       I framtiden kommer vi forts?tta expandera utomlands med entusiasm och hj?lp av en professionell styrelse. Vi s?ker nya lokationer hela tiden, ber?ttar Toivanen.

www.classicpizza.fi www.makaronitehdas.fi