Finally, it was going to happen. On the table lay the contract signed and ready. It was New Year's Eve and the couple Pia and Jonas Dahlbom had just secured the perfect location to create their dream restaurant. All that remained was to toast the new year. How they longed for 2020.
Linköping is smaller than Stockholm but still not a small town. Here at Nygatan 29, Pia and Jonas Dahlbom had found the dream location to open their own restaurant. The plan was to keep their jobs and assignments in Stockholm for about another year, while planning, fixing, and finally opening the couple's own restaurant in February 2021.
– The pandemic came, our jobs in Stockholm disappeared and Jonas's participation in Bocuse d’Or was paused indefinitely. All we had left was an empty space in Linköping, says Pia Dahlbom.
The project had started to generate money and without income Dahlboms had to become residents of Linköping earlier than planned.
– We told ourselves that we had to be ready to open right after the summer. The hope was that the pandemic would have blown over by then, which it did. The problem was that it also came back.
About half a year earlier than planned, on September 25, 2020, Dahlboms mat opened. The pressure was enormous, but after just a month with-
the first restrictions were shared. Nightlife was shut down.
– The joy lasted for four weeks before the second wave hit, but those were also four wonderful weeks. We were up and running, Linköping had welcomed us with open arms, and the bookings had been pouring in. We understood that what we wanted to do was absolutely right. Dahlboms mat was far from the only restaurant struggling during the pandemic. But the Government's support package added salt to the wound because the support was based on turnover from the previous year. No such figures existed for the newly opened Dahlboms mat. The support never came.
– Running a restaurant as a married couple
has its challenges, especially during a pandemic. But we have always wanted to do everything together and we could not have gotten through this on our own. It has been us and our amazing staff who have brought this to shore.
Today, almost two years have passed since the restrictions were lifted. Dahlboms mat is
now one of Linköping's most popular restaurants and the couple recently opened Bar Kusinen, next door with drinks and Asian street food.
– Now we are through the pandemic and can seriously build what we want to be. The important thing right now is to create a workplace where you can have an adult life with a career, while working in a restaurant.
– Circumstances like evening work are difficult for us to control, but we want to be the best at everything else we can influence, such as development opportunities for those who want to grow, stress management, continuous time off with loved ones, and creating a culture where people enjoy their work. We want to attract talent and develop staff like any professional company, says Pia Dahlbom.
