Pitopaluvelu The business story of Olkihattu

Mistress Piret Rosberg says:

Hollolan Olkihattu Oy officially started in September 1993. Its background is the entrepreneur Leila Arvila formerly Pulkkanen. The company is still in operation, the current entrepreneur is Olkihattu's former chef, signed – Piret Rosberg.

The retired entrepreneur said that the dream of owning a cafe-restaurant began to grow in the early 70s, when Leila was working at the famous Tallukka Hotel in Vääksy.

Before the restaurant located in the Hollola shopping center "Kompass", Leila was an entrepreneur in Eimo Muov's construction site canteen in 1981-1993. In 1986, Pitopalvelu Juhlavehnänen was also born alongside it, to meet the increased demand of customers.

Leila's long-time dream came true and the opening of the restaurant Olkihatu was celebrated in October 1993. Most of the employees moved to the new location from Eimo Muov's canteen, and new people were also hired to work in the restaurant. Before the opening, the staff was trained on the days of the year. The name of the restaurant, Olkihattu, was also born during the training. From the beginning, it was important to Leila that the staff could participate, develop and come up with ideas for the operation of the restaurant Olkihatu.

Originally, the restaurant had 80 customer places, A rights and 10 permanent employees. An important part of the operation was the cafe and the building had its own baker and confectioner. Lunch and á la carte dishes were prepared in the restaurant kitchen, and of course the popular catering business was part of our everyday life.

An important guideline from the beginning was service and good quality of service, because we stood out from our competitors, because the prevailing trend in our field was self-service. Dishes were also served to the tables during lunch, coffee was poured into cups, etc. I also joined this house and the work team in 1997.

As a workplace, the restaurant Olkihatu's kitchen was "university level". I started my own career then and was able to develop and grow into a professional in a highly motivated work environment, the employer was demanding but fair. A lot was accomplished with the young and forward-looking staff and colleagues. We were encouraged to develop while at work. I myself, for example, got more training while working and was responsible for kitchen operations for the last 5 years while working there.

Our spaces became cramped, especially at lunchtime. The expansion of the straw hat was done in 2001. The number of customer places increased to 140. At that point, a "Shop" was also opened in our premises, where domestic high-quality food products made by small producers were sold. The restaurant was also awarded the Swan Label (second in the whole country). We committed to making our own products from domestic raw materials whenever possible. So we were pioneers by favoring local products, organic and domestic products, which is now a big trend in Finland.

For a short time at the turn of the millennium, there was another location in the center of Lahti, café Olkihattu, at Aleksanterinkatu 1.

In 2010, new winds blew in the Hollola shopping center and when the lease agreement was broken, Leila decided to stop the restaurant operation. Many missed stopping by a cozy restaurant during a shopping trip, chatting with familiar staff and friends, getting together after hobbies, wine club activities - not forgetting the delicacies we prepared. In the straw hat's living room, everyone enjoyed themselves, from baby to old man. It was easy for us to come!

The operation of Hollola Olkihattu continued in 2012 in the Old Parsonage of the Hollola parish, where the order restaurant and caterer still operate.

The circle closed when we started preparing for the acquisition in 2015. I myself had worked for 10 years elsewhere, but Olkihattu had always been a part of me and I wanted to continue our story. The "bucket exchange" was celebrated in 2016.

Today, the catering service Olkihattu rents party spaces from Hollola's Old Parsonage. For parties or events, we plan what to offer according to the customer's wishes. Appreciation of the milieu of the rectory and the quality of the straw hat are the cornerstone of our operations. We can also order catering services or things to offer for parties at the customer's premises.

One product above the others is Olkihattu's salad dressing, it has accompanied the company throughout its existence. It is currently sold in seven different stores in Hollola and Lahti.

Our operations at Pappila have changed a little during the corona period. Our summer cafe, which we will open again next summer, has been well received. In addition, we try to keep the cafe open during different seasons (e.g. Christmas, May Day, Mother's Day), when you can buy delicious products from our cafe and get to know the environment on site.

It goes without saying that during the company's entire existence, we are living through the most critical times in terms of continuation. We can only hope that we can continue to offer customers great party experiences with delicious food and good service. Welcome to the atmospheric Hollola Olkihattuu next to Maria's church.

The mouth remembers the sweet taste.

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