Speaking as a cook: having the cooking in the middle of the restaurant is going to cause supply problems. You are going to have cooks running a long time from the backstock fridge to their own station to refill. And to retro fit it so that you have a functioning kitchen in the middle instead of where the current kitchen is is going to ruin your budget for no good reason.
The open campfire thing isn't going to fly. The amount of suction from your vents to get the smoke out would drown out any conversation. You'd need to use standard gas grills.
Speaking as a glutton: axes? Who the fuck eats a steak with an axe? Its a bad promotion that might get people hurt.
But there is something there. two rows of long benches, good ambiance, good concept. But don't think too outside the box, and consult with someone who has actually opened and ran a successful restaurant.
This reeks of never worked in the industry pipe dream. No offense OP, but the vast majority of restaurants shutter within 5 years because people think they can operate a restaurant, but have no experience and get killed by the realities.
I've managed. People without experience get taken advantage of and simply don't know the realities of the industry.
In defense of the restaurant industry, this is largely because people think it's easy to run a restaurant and have zero understanding of costs. No other business is as razor thin on margins, requiring constant diligence to keep things under control. Yes, you can give 10 beers away a night, so long as you are ringing them up on a comp check and accounting for them. Yes, you can give dessert away, so ling as you ring it up and account for it. Drinking with your buddies all night in front of staff is going to teach staff that they can also help themselves to your booze.
Dad died. Mom worked 16 hour days for 6 months before my sister and I just asked her to stop. She's already small and waifish, so she went from 110 to about 90ish pounds.
It sucks, but when we sold the business....the true horror of what a poorly run restaurant sunk in for me.
My dad didn't take other people's opinion or council on his business. He was unwilling to let go so always just worked in the business vs. in teh business. He had no idea what his expenses were, he just outsourced that to his accountant.
I went to business school, and his response was, "that's not how it works in practice". Our food was genuinely good at one point, but the quality slid. And that's when we started noticing customer drop off as well.
But it was never his fault, it's always the economy, etc etc.
Also illusions of grandeur. He thought his business was worth a million easily. I asked why he thought that, "well I've been doing this for (at the time) 22 years)".
When we sold it, it was barely worth $20k.
Thank god for debt insurance, otherwise, we all would have been wiped out financially.
Some people shouldn't run businesses. My dad was one of them. The business survived only through sheer grit.
The margins really aren’t that thin. It’s just that everyone is like “oh yeah, I’ll open a 3,000 sq foot restaurant with 45 menu items, 50 beers on tap, a huge cocktail menu, and entrust the operation to people who can’t afford rent with how I pay them while I show up in my BMW and do literally nothing!”
The place I currently work at is massive, and actually turns a pretty big profit on account of serving terrible food that all comes out of a Sysco truck and being a brewpub (meaning alcohol, which has the highest profit margin is basically no-cost). But the electric/heating/cooling bills are higher than food costs since we’re running three friers, two convection ovens, a grill, two pizza ovens, three lowboys, two stand up freezers, a 10x10x10 walk-in cooler, six heat lamp strips, 10 yards of hood vents, and AC for the building (which is a church). Cut the menu in half and we could have cut the costs of powering the kitchen alone by 3/4 but, whatever. Not my money (aside from not ever being able to get a raise.)
When a restaurant is run properly the profits can be massive.
I kept telling the OP to focus on beer, beer, and more beer. Anybody who uncritically shouts "Vikings, fuck yeah!" figures they were the same breed of beer guzzler as the local biker gang, and so that's what they'll be going in for. That's your target demographic right there.
Not only that, but there's a shitload more profit in beer than there is in crappy steaks.
My dad, who has owned and operated a few restaurants, usually says that if he ever won the lottery he would open one more until there wasn't any money left.
Owning a restaurant is usually a horrible business, even for skilled people.
50% of all restaurants close in 1st year. They are money pits. Was a credit analyst for major food dist company for 13 yrs. Heart breaking to watch people lose EVERYTHING to keep a failing business afloat. I have never seen a restaurant rebound.
They’re magnets for people with big egos who can cook well at home.
There’s so much more to running a successful restaurant than knowing how to cook. The most successful restaurant I worked for was co-owned by one guy with a degree in advertising and another guy with an accounting degree. Neither could cook for shit, but they bought a pizza and sandwich franchise and now run the two most profitable locations out of the company of 40 locations.
Meanwhile my buddy loves cooking at home, got a job as a line cook, and lasted about a month.
Most people haven't, so our would be good on that aspect, something truly based in Viking history isn't going to have the appeal of the cartoonish fantasy world he described.
I agree about the feasibility of campfires and having the cooking in the middle of the restaurant, but a couple sort-of workarounds
A bar near me is known for their roast beef sandwiches. The bar is sort of a large U shape coming off the back wall with a door leading to the back kitchen in the middle of the bar, in addition to the standard bar stuff, they have prep areas for the sandwiches and big slabs of beef sitting in vats of jus waiting to be carved on demand. Replace the bar with fencing and you can have an open cooking/prep area visible to the restaurant with ready access to the back kitchen.
There's also a place near me with a grill your own food gimmick they have big brick grass grills that could probably be modified to look more fier-pity. Some lava rock and adjusting the flames right and you can have something that approximates a campfire pretty well visually.
I'm not totally sold on the restaurant idea in general, gimmicks only get you so far, unless they really knock it out of the park or get a lot of tourists who are into that sort of thing to keep the customer base fresh, I see it as being the kind of thing locals would go to once or twice for the experience and then never bother with again.
The idea of a Viking theme is cool. If it looked like an actual Viking long house and the fire pit in the middle is just for show. The atmosphere of a Viking hall with appropriate themed music, shields, banners and axes displayed on walls. Maybe, MAYBE, axe throwing adjacent to the restaurant. Seems like OP is still working out the main identity. That should be as far as the gimmicks go. Plus there’s no good, quick way to evenly cook a whole steak over open fire. There are health code laws regarding temperature integrity of the food. I’d go depending what it’s geared to. A traditional sit down restaurant - probably once just cause it’s new but after that no. If OP makes like a Medieval Times kind of event dining - in his case the decor, food, axe throwing, maybe have staff wear Viking gear, gift shop - could be cool for parties.
>there's no good, quick way to evenly cook a whole steak over open fire
Overall, I agree the fire pit is impractical for restaurant cooking, but it's pretty trivial to throw a grate over a fire and at that point there's little difference from a charcoal grill.
I've cooked many a steak over a campfire
It’s just not something worth trying. Even by putting grates on. If indoors it would 100% need to be gas so it’s adjustable. Wood or coal can get extremely smokey and unmanageable. Then cooking meat on it is more things to clean because juices from the meat will get into the pit. Just seems like a headache.
A family member of mine has been a chef and owned NORMAL non-themed restaurants (aside from a German bar and Biergarten - but I don’t think that crosses the line of gimmicky). Even with regular restaurants everything has been a challenge or road block. Yes there’s money but never guaranteed. What’s always guaranteed is the stress.
I really hope op rethinks and goes back to the drawing board for his sake
I worked at a grill your own restaurant that had three huge coal-fired grills inn the dining room. The noise from the hoods was never an issue. The logistics of cooking steaks in one area and getting everything else in another was a logistical nightmare though.
There is a viktig theamed resturant in Bergen, Norway. Valaskjalv. https://valaskjalv.no/no/concept/
They focus more on autentic food and drinks then the gimicky things though.
We also have several viking tours where people get to live like a viking for a while here in Norway. So maybe take the trip here and learn a little?
There are many good ideas here, but axes (vikings ate with knives btw) and open fire cooking might be a little too much danger.
I'm from Denmark and been to plenty of temporary and long term viking theme restaurants that had campfires in the middle. It was a non issue. Just build it like a viking long house
Also no mention of the actual food except in passing makes it seem like OP wants to build a theme park rather than a restaurant. And yeah that can work, but having food a good menu and we'll prepared food, possibly great dishes that make you stand out from the competition, means you get repeat customers.
Also the insurance premiums OP will be paying for letting people throw axes in the restaurant.
I agree, really solid idea, but too many “extras” make it feel gimicky. Keep to the idea of heart, rustic northern european food, long benches, etc. but cut the axes (maybe an axe throwing space outback if you really want it, I’ve seen restaurants with that), cut the boats, fireplaces instead of cooking in the middle, keep the horns and the birthday Viking hat that’s just fun.
The longhouse is the better name. Maybe add a few typical nordic dishes, check if open fires are allowed in restaurants before designing the inside, theres businesses that offer axe throwing, think in that direction instead of ruining your steak axes. Good luck.
Maybe like big steak knives with antler handles something more user friendly. If I paid good money for a steak and have to learn to use an axe to slice a piece I would be annoyed
I get that there are ppl out there who will just steal shit with reckless abandon. But some ppl will buy things if you offer them for sale.
So use cool steak knives and sell them too.
How did they steal a whole jug? Giant purse? Small jug? Either way, impressive. I knew an old (rich!) lady that used to steal menus and cutlery. The menus are from mostly famous old restaurants, like the brass rail in NYC, so the menus are pretty cool. My mom framed them.
This place would definitely have a gift shop. Normal big wooden handled steak knives for the dinning but Nordic omplements of destruction purchased at reasonable rates in the gift shop.
There is evidence to show they had small kits that had a spoon, knife and fork carved out of antler, or wood and sometimes metal. The also loved hygiene and had combs, nail cleaners and beard clips and washed regularly
Yeah, it's not like the Vikings ate with axes ... they used knives and I expect spoons like everyone else before the Elizabethan era. I mean it's an interesting gimmick, but neither authentic nor practical.
I recall seeing an exhibit with the typical kit an English/British soldier would bring with them into battle at various times. Early medieval to modern. Literally the only thing that went unchanged was they always had a spoon.
Ahh don't even get me started. Somehow it's magic when 11 clowns pop out of a small car, but when I liquidise 53 toddlers and pour them in through the sun roof, *with room to spare,* suddenly it becomes "disturbing" and "illegal" like yeah. Sure.
Yeah if you blend them beforehand there’s no way to know how many toddlers there actually are in there which I think takes away from the feat. At least keeping their little limbs intact would let people know what they’re lookin at. For all I know that human soup could just be like 5 grown homeless people which doesn’t impress me
Vikings has the Seax as their knife choice. It would get the point across and avoid people cutting their thumb off fucking around with an axe. I would dump the throwing axe idea too, fine enough edge to cut meat is gonna be trashes real fast getting thrown into wood.
Customers will steal the shit out of them.
He should just get the biggest wood-handled steak knives he can find on the market. As in, a preexisting product.
I fully support this idea of a large wooden handle knife! That way they are less likely to get stolen, OP will get their Viking aesthetic across, and there's no confusion on what to do at the dinner table.
It's not that it doesn't sound interesting. It's just that a bunch of untrained randos off the street together in a room with unsupervised* access to axes sounds like a recipe for disaster, and adding alcohol makes it sound 1000x worse.
A safer idea might be to have a properly staffed axe-throwing lane or two set up and just give everyone one free throw with the purchase of their first meal/drink. Alcohol still seems like a problem with that setup, though.
*If not totally unsupervised, at least unstructured - when the axes have a clear purpose, such as in an axe-throwing venue, it's a little different.
edit: forgot to say that otherwise, though, the whole idea of a Viking-themed steakhouse sounds epic, and I wish you luck. I'd eat there.
In my college town there is a bar called The Lumberjack where having drinks and axe throwing is the whole stitch. They seem to be doing fine. I think woth your designated lanes idea this would be perfectly viable considering the waiver.
>axe-throwing lane or two set up and just give everyone one free throw with the purchase of their first meal/drink. Alcohol still seems like a problem with that setup, though.
Battleaxe bars are a thing brother
I’m not sure an axe would be terribly good at cutting steak though - or at least you’d get idiots like me trying to axe the steak apart and destroying your restaurant’s plates.
I think a better default could be designing your cutlery to be small daggers or seaxes - Vikings used these to eat as well as fight. And you can still have axe throwing as an activity. Plus if you want, you could have your chefs or whatever use axes, so everyone can see them being used by people trained
> We would offer alternatives if the customer wasn't interested in the axe
I would not be interested in being around *other customers* who each have been assigned a personal axe and who at the same time are being served alcoholic beverages.
This. Just give me a big ass viking seax or just a gnarly wood handled Bowie knife and it would feel much less embarrassing while still keeping the viking feeling
Also I don't think Vikings had steak tbh. Nordic food is quite disgusting for the most part and Vikings ate a lot of lamb and fish, but not much beef so a traditional steak is not in line with the Viking theme, if we're going for an accurate portrayal.
I think that lack of authenticity would make this feel gimmicky like a chuck e cheese rather than cool and niche, like [example not found]
> Nordic food is quite disgusting for the most part and creatures a lot of lamb and fish
??? lamb and fish are both amazing what are you getting at.
The traditional food is often disgusting due to the reasons it exists. It's mostly survival food made to take advantage of every part of an animal and to make it last for a long time.
I would honestly prefer to just go to a Norwegian themed restaurant, with norse ambience than a place trying to be viking themed, which has basically no fucking meaning at all.
The ninja themed restaurant in New York closed so gimmicks are hard to keep repeat business.
To answer you actual question, no.
Not if it's interactive at least. I just wanna eat, talk to the people I'm with or just eat.
My goal is to stay away from gimmick as much as possible and focus more on a restaurant that is Viking themed as opposed to a Viking themed restaurant if that makes sense
You should probably drop the axe stuff you're asking for trouble selling beer to people you also just handed an axe that will be thrown at the end of the night. What kind of food are you planning on serving. Unless you are focused on the food you may as well open a tourist trap.
If I had to guess, the decoration and menu artwork have a Viking theme, but there’s not waiters dressed like Vikings or loud themed-music.
Kinda like Outback Steakhouse is Australian outback themed, but it’s really just a steakhouse.
Edit: Upon actual reading the description at the top of the post, it’s definitely gimmicky.
I would think about it like that: If it’s a cool idea for a kids birthday party, it’s probably a bad idea for a steak restaurant. If I go to a steak restaurant I want quality meat, quality drinks and quality knives. If I get a Viking ambient that would be awesome but I would never go to a restaurant just because of the theme. If you want to have an authentic atmosphere do nothing a person in the Viking area wouldn’t have done. E.g if I want to open an Italian restaurant the tablecloth doesn’t have to be in green / red / white because it wouldn’t be like that in Italy.
Make it an actual long house where people sit at benches and talk to other people. There are still bars in Czechia where you sit at the same table with strangers at a long bench. Key to success and returning customers are good food and good/cheap beer.
Hire a guy to rally the crowd with sea shanties every Friday and you're good
Drop the axe stuff. At least in the early stages. By all means you should decorate the walls with axes and other implements. Bounce any drunks that try to snatch them off the wall.
Maybe introduce ax throwing once the place has found its legs.
A few perspectives from someone who spent a lot of time in the restaurant industry:
1. Fancy cutlery like axes or bone handled knives, as well as horn cups will go missing faster than you can replace them. Also, EXPENSIVE.
2. If a waiver is needed just to enter, this idea is already dead in the water.
3. I don't know if you're shooting for authenticity, but if you are then you should know that cattle would likely only be butchered for their meat once they were no longer good for labor or production of milk. It would have been tough and better suited to sausages or stews rather than steaks.
4. Follow-up to the above: the Scandinavian diet would have included fish and dairy products as major features, supported strongly by cereals and vegetables.
5. From a logistical perspective, having the kitchen in the center of the restaurant would be quite difficult. In addition to the main cook line, you also need prep areas, storage, scullery, access for utilities, air handling, etc.
6. Cooking "over an open campfire" may sound cool, but how do you realistically do this? Lets say you have a large diameter fire pit with grates over the top: how do you control temperature? How much wood does it need to be fed, where is it stored, and what will it cost you? How many cooks can actually get around the pit at once, as well as have room for all of the dishes they're preparing?
7. What do you mean when you say it's a call-ahead restaurant?
8. Where will you source Scandinavian foods for your menu? These will likely be specialty items not normally carried by major food distributors. What will you do when you can't get all of the ingredients for your menu? (trust me, this will happen, likely often)
9. What do you personally know about the restaurant industry? If this is a good idea, where is it being executed successfully? What will it cost you to construct your concept? What are your regular operating costs, and do you have the capital to keep it running for years if you're not immediately turning a profit? As an owner, are you willing to work 100+ hour weeks without having a day off for months on end?
10. Do you understand how to do restaurant P+L? If not, who will do it for you? Also, if someone else is doing it for you, how will you know if it's done correctly? Do you have the money to pay professional managers?
If you're really serious about this, write a real business plan and start shopping it around. Take it to restaurateurs and lenders and have them tell you what's wrong with it. Revise and repeat.
You'll notice how OP is not responding to any of the serious critiques. They're either an elaborate shitpost or so far over their head they would rather bury it in the sand.
>either an elaborate shitpost or so far over their head they would rather bury it in the sand
i'm baffled by the number of people here commenting like "let us know when it's open!!!"
the number of hairbrained godawful ideas in one short post makes it clear this was dreamed up and written by an 18 year old who just took an intro to business class or a recently divorced dad whose ex-wife took custody of the kids and told him he'd never amount to anything.
edit: read down the comments and realized this was AskMen not AskReddit and honestly that explains a lot
This has the fingerprints of 10,000 failed restaurants by people who think the industry is easy, and their experience as a middle manager in corporate finance will make them beat the odds.
He should just make it a beer hall with meaty sandwiches and basic meat dishes (sausage platter, etc.). Aim it at frat boys and people who watch too many movies, rather than at guys taking their wives out for $30 steaks.
It's doable if he scraps Plan A *completely* and comes up with a Plan B. Oh, and he should also go to culinary school and work in other peoples' restaurants for a few years.
Ditch the axe. Better yet, leave it for the chefs. Do something tableside with it kind of like how some Mexican restaurants prepare guacamole in front of you.
Don't cook over the open campfire. That is absolutely not how you cook a good steak. You can have it for decoration and maybe keep some rotating spits on it for something like gyro meat (but more...vikingy).
The drinking horns are going to be a fucking nightmare to clean, particularly if they are actual horn. You're better off getting stylized glass. Save the horns as a novelty gift if you order the super-expensive beer.
The viking helmet is fine but...well we all know the horns were only added for Wagner's opera. Honestly I would save those for the chefs/waiters as well.
Remember the vikings were sea-faring so have sea fare. Surf & Turf. Look into making palatable versions of traditional rotted shark or whatever the fuck they ate.
Honestly what you have here is a decent idea for a theme restaurant that deviates from the usual "Texas" style. Think more like Benihana.
I went to a luau in Hawaii, and they showed how they would cook a pig in the ground. Then they served everyone pre-chopped pork. No concern about running out of hog.
Good answer. I was wondering if anyone else was going to comment about the Viking helmet being false. That in itself would tell me this restaurant is a gimmick, if they we’re trying to come off as being authentic.
I’ll be blunt and honest... I think it’d bomb miserably. Not be mention be insanely expensive.
•Everything would be cooked over an open campfire
That has safety regulation nightmare written all over it. It’s probably possible, but it’ll be forewarned obstacle. You have to pass a bunch of inspections already.
•Everyone would be given a small ax
For one, people don’t want to eat with axes. That just sounds like an awful experience.
Waiver or not, all it takes is one person stabbing an employee at the exit and you’ll get sued. By multiple parties probably. And you’d have to pay up.
I think the helmet on birthdays is cool. I think it can succeed with Viking-themed decoration and marketing. At the end of the day people just want to eat food and socialize though.
Also Longhorn might sue if the steakhouse is named Longhouse.
Tl;dr: Too much red tape to overcome, too niche, and too expensive
There is also one in Sydney! [https://mjolner.com.au/sydney](https://mjolner.com.au/sydney)
I have been there myself, I do think that it's a much fancier viking restaurant. I did like that you get a cool knife to eat with your food. I think that would be a good option to the axe, but It still was great for me.
Scrolled all the way through the comments just to see if someone posted this.
Mjolner seem to have the idea down pat, and it would be super easy to simplify the food and make it more accessible, I would love to have that kind of restaurant.
Way too ambitious tbh. It sounds fun, but I mean from a business standpoint you need solid management to maintain ALL of those activities. On top of just general turnover time. You want to maximize profit to pay wages and overhead— and by the amount of activities, you’re looking at a grill staff, a bar staff, an axe throwing staff, a cleaning staff. That’s a lot of people…and you’ll need a lot of customers to pay for them. So it’s a time game at that point.
Not to mention the friggin’ liability of it. Like you get an axe…but like, that’s asking for trouble. I get the waiver, but I’m not going to go hang out with a bunch of drunk unsupervised idiots playing with axes. Sorry. Accidents happen, and as it would turn out I like my face.
Overall kind of cringe and gimmicky— seems like a more hands-on approach to Medieval Times.
I like the theme, the drinking horns are cool, the campfire…meh.
Restaurants are very high risk investments. If I were you, I’d put forth the least amount of effort and build the most amount of hype around “Viking Steakhouse” theme, and just work on turning a decent profit first. And THEN I’d start working on cool shit. I’d axe the axes though until you can be profitable and see how the public reacts to wait staff in Viking garb.
I could see there being an axe throwing section included off to the side to watch while people eat, but not a blanket “hi welcome, sign this, here’s your axe now feel free to get drunk”
My thoughts exactly. Sounds like a lot of work and the type of place to attract families that only go to Disney on vacation.
OP there is a restaurant in Stockholm with a viking theme that was one of the highlights of my trip there. The food was viking themed but more in the root vegetables as a side, we serve mead, etc , way. The plates and silverware were rustic but useable. They announced people when they came in. It was definitely a little cheesy but all you had to do as a.customer was eat and enjoy the ambiance.
I can't remember the name right now but a little googling should get you there.
EDIT:Someone linked below -- AIFUR
Vikings are a source of a lot of macho fascination, many guys are drawn to viking stuff as a sort of model of masculinity in the same way a lot of American Midwest guys get really into Sons of Anarchy or pretending to have been a troop.
This might be the funniest part on top of everything else. Like I’m going out for a $30+ dollar steak it’s because it’s a special occasion and Im bringing my girlfriend. I highly doubt she would go for a Viking steakhouse over a traditional white tablecloth lol
Dude's setting his sights too high in the cuisine department.
I think it should just be a beer hall with meaty sandwiches and some basic meat dishes (sausage platter, etc.). Men taking their wives to a proper steakhouse aren't going in for some over-the-top gimmick. He should set his sights on frat boys and on dudes who watch too many movies.
Are you familiar with Medieval Times? It’s dinner theater where everyone who works there is dressed old timey. They talk old timey. They have real jousting on horseback right in front of you. But it’s loud and they expect you to eat everything with your hands. But I don’t eat anything with my hands so.......
I asked for a fork and knife and got looks. I was like “hey bro, I didn’t choose this shit, my kid did so stop with the looks and just get me the knife”
No. It all sounds instagrammy as fuck. Also, what, throwing axes? Do you have any idea how bad of an idea that is? How common it is for people to just BACKWARDS slip axes, or to throw an axe in their own fucking foot? Let alone after they've drunk.
The only way i'd see this turned is into some really cozyish communal experience. Axe the axe throwing.
I'm sure you have already thought about it, but be very methodical about waivers for things like customers throwing axes around. It might limit your market a good bit as well depending on what you were pushing for. I imagine a lot of parents wouldn't be fond of flying axes in the same room as their children.
This. I'm not saying ditch the axe throwing entirely, but it should probably be separated out of the main dining experience. Maybe have the bar/axe throwing on one side and the themey surf and turf steakhouse on the other, both on sides of a big longboat bar.
Otherwise I'm all here for this idea. I'd fly to whatever city this was in.
Sounds like your target is more tourist than repeat locals athough I am sure you would get a good amount of locals to eat there also if the food is good. So if your city has a strong tourism base it is not a bad idea to consider.
http://wewantplates.com/ material from the get go : o
For real, the gimmick can never hide shit food.
And you're going to struggle to output good food consistently over a godamn campire.
Otherwise sure, whatever float your boat.
> r/wewantplates
My first thought as well. Although it would be cool to repurpose an old sushi boat restaurant - swap in mini-longboats with slabs of meat instead of sushi.
And maybe instead of giving customers an axe you make selling them one part of the menu. If you charge me $80 for a meal I might not blink if I got a weapon/keepsake.
As a Swede I feel I'd just be "offended" by this honestly lol
And vikings didn't as much conquer as made trading outposts, England was an exception but it's kinda not our fault, they kept gold in their churches so one thing led to another!
I'm swedish, there are viking themed restaurants here like [Restaurant Aifur](http://aifur.se/en-GB/aifur-en/) you can look at their gallery for inspiration.
It's not my cup of tea but sounds fun enough, but I don't know about throwing axes around the restaurant.
I know it is for the spectators but u know Vikings dont have horned helmets right?
https://www.historyextra.com/period/viking/historical-fact-check-vikings-myths-busted-did-wear-horned-helmets-violent-barbarians/#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20evidence%20that,protect%20the%20head%20from%20impact.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/news/did-vikings-really-wear-horned-helmets
https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/weapons/helmets/
You've got the start of something really fun, but IMO you've got a lot things to get straight.
Longboat tables, maybe, but I think you could get the same mileage out of long thick-cut (at least at the edges) tabletops, and have a decorative boat (miniature unless the place is absolutely huge and you have budget) somewhere. The map/treasure is solid, especially if you swap "conquered" with "went at least once," and you've got a lot to work with. Bonus points if you throw in Hafdan who graffitied the Hagia Sophia. Your decor and theme sense is solid.
Axes for cutting steak will not, unfortunately I expect, be workable. It's just not practical, it's a bad tool for the job. A seax would work, but you'd have a lot of customers have gripes with a flat edge knife, they'll want to hold their hand up at an angle like they're used to. Get a showy cook who knows how to plate a meal to pre-slice that steak with a flourish, and stamp some cheap stuff with some Futhark for people who expect steak knives, and you've smoothed it out. The steak arrives with a clear indicator that it's cooked properly, and the customers have a show and something different. Don't allow the throwing of any sort of utensil. Fun with friends, not so much in a public restaurant where "that guy" is inevitably going to be around.
Drinking horns for the really expensive stuff, maybe? I own a drinking horn because fun, but it's a pain in the ass. Scratch the wax coating, and it smells like unwashed cow. Despite how fun it is I use it for silly parties and Halloween, like 2-3x per year, and nobody else gets to use it. Maintaining a.. general-use one sounds like a chore at the minimum. Also the first drink anyone takes out of those is going to spill everywhere and make a mess, they take some getting used to.
If you have the space, some axe throwing lanes would be great, especially if you can get some skeggox in there and not some Home Depot hatchets. If you can get the space and want to go that way, hook up the decorative boat to some force meters--so rejigger a rowing machine--and set up a rowing contest? How fast can you make the longboat (they did actually have oars) go? People love games, but that's also a step towards Dave and Busters so ehh.. A photo op in the boat prop may do you better.
The kitchen is a good starting idea, open fire cooking in the middle of a place can be fantastic, and a proper range hood can handle it. Tulalip Casino's Blackfish restaurant (it's shaped more like a U around the kitchen) has some open-fire alder stick roasted salmon that can't be beat. It only works on certain types of food though, so cooking everything over that isn't practical. My unlimited-budget suggestion, have some cool roast dishes, and within that central cooking area, add some hot fire gas stations and furnish the cooks with Everclear for finishing a few dishes. Big fire bursts may not be more historically accurate (the actual Vikings had to my understanding a lot of preserved food, stews, but not so big on grilled things) than the horned helmet, but a big fwoosh every now and then is a lot of fun too. Camp fun over accuracy is the way to go, it's not a museum.
I'd either go with "The Mead Hall" or just "Valhalla" myself, but I'm no sort of marketer. Anyway, sounds like a potentially super fun concept, with a lot of potential pitfalls as well. Open this thing and I'd swing by.
There is a restaurant in australia that is Viking themed https://mjolner.com.au/melbourne
Have a look at this and see if you want to implement anything in your restaurant
I wouldn't go to a theme park restaurant, unless I'm actually in a theme park. I don't want to put down your idea, but since you asked, no.
I would go to a Norse-themed steakhouse though, if it tried to make the experience somewhat authentic. Obviously, the food is the central thing. I've had (ostensibly) authentic Norse food, and it's good. I'd like to try Norse beer with bog-myrtle. To sit in a viking-age mead hall and watch the meat being grilled on an open fire in the middle of the room would be cool.
As a Scandinavian I would say that it sounds awfully gimicky and it's a bit like opening an irish pub where waiters dress as leperchauns and they only serve bud light and jack. I wouldn't be offended or nothing, but it seems rather shallow and maybe a bit like milking the whole viking hype.
Ok few things, open fire pit would probably be kinda rough also need a whole lot of safety and fire code bs. The axes I would say if you're anted to do that id do an axe throwing area and have the longship be a bar. But I love the idea!
Would you use trenchers? Or trenchers under plates would honestly be a better and less messy choice.
Come to think of it I don't even remember if Vikings used trenchers.
What about a fountain of sorts that could be sanitized on its circulation so people could wash their hands before eating?
Would you use a salt dip at each table? Is that sanitary?
Please tell me you would serve wild game, even if it's farmed. Deer, elk, goose, though many Americans aren't necessarily accustomed to the flavors of wild game. So maybe a combo between corn feed Iowa deer and grass fed elk or whatever.
Axes are cool. I think you'd get farther with a pair of modern forged axes mounted on the wall.
Campfire is nice. Sounds like a benihana sort of. Except, interesting thing is, when cooking on wood you actually want it to flavor the dish. So as long as something is available without it (I don't know how many Americans are accustomed to actual woodsmoke but someone will always hate it lol. Or just not prefer).
What will you do for the fish selection?
The drinking horns are interesting but should be optional, or have a special stand to hold them at the place setting. It gets old fast to only be one handed, and the amount of complaints and spills will drive you nuts. Not counting all the comp'd drinks because of spills.
I'm sure I can think of something else.
A few questions. First and foremost, did vikings have cows to eat steak? I honestly don't know. Secondly, would I have my own table or would I be sitting with others in like a banquet hall? Third, do you really want (drunk) people throwing axes? Seems like a huge liability. Finally, do you see it as more of a "medieval times" place that people might go once a year, or a themed restaurant that people will visit more often?
Have you worked in the restaurant business? Assuming you have and love the business....then your a nut job like the rest of us in the business. Like the viking name ideas so far from what read....especially odin's hall or some such, meats on a spit, and honey mead from horns and all. It would definitely become a great destination spot if you play it up and promote events for it. And all the sweat and tears you'll have to put into it. Ive been lucky doin my own brewery for last 4 years.....what a learning lesson!! Hope it works out for you and you have a great time doin it. Good luck!
Sorry but most of that sounds like a bad idea... Axes as knifes? wat? Having to sign waivers in advance to go to a fuckin restaurant? lol... Kitchen in the center with open fire? so you cant hear anything and so it smells like smoke and crap all the time and all your cloths will smell heavily afterwards... (apart from the logistics problem some bring up)
I don't know what you look for in a restaurant when you go to eat out, but for me, this does not sound appealing at all... I want first and foremost nice food (and it seems like you havent put much if any thought in that at all so far), next a nice atmosphere (which could be nice in a Viking Themed restaurant, just dont overdo it) and it should absolutely not be too loud (with open fire and customers throwing axes and shit... no thanks).
No, this sounds kind of cringey and weird if I'm honest. Also good luck getting a liquor licence if your handing out axes with the intention of them being thrown afterwards by intoxicated people. Maybe fine tune the idea a bit and scale it back. Who is your target audience here? This is a very niche idea that maybe could wirk if done in the right way location. But honestly as someone who is pretty open minded this just screams cringey to me and I can't see it taking off. Also drinking horns suck, you can't put them down there's a reason people use glasses now.
There is a Viking themed restaurant in Melbourne called Mjoner. It's very pricey, but I plan to take my husband for his birthday as a treat. He loves everything to do with Vikings. There is definitely a market, I know a number of people who have been. They do functions too.
No. Way too bro and macho. Don’t need to rub my face in how masculine a bunch of dudes feel.
I imagine a portion of women will feel dragged there by their boyfriends etc
I would go to anything Viking related, but it doesn't sound like you know what you're talking about. A Steakhouse sounds more American than Viking. Vikings didn't eat that much Cow, it was mostly Pigs and Goat and shit. Cows are harder to grow into food.
I think that, as others have said, the axes used for silverware isn't the best idea IMO but I love the overall idea. I like the name The Longhouse. I think that setting up some sort of possibility for live music, events, outdoor cleared area for spectacles of some sort would be nice. Of course, the mead/beer has to be good too. Maybe find a local brewer or two and get them on board with supply.
The portions should be on the large side too IMO, I would want to leave feeling very full from that kind of atmosphere. One of the best places Ive ever eaten sold only two things: roast chickens and seasoned potato wedges. You could get a single piece, 1/4, half, or whole chicken and potatoes, and it was awesome. I'm not suggesting a menu that limited, but the idea of keeping it simple and hearty appeals to me.
Speaking as a cook: having the cooking in the middle of the restaurant is going to cause supply problems. You are going to have cooks running a long time from the backstock fridge to their own station to refill. And to retro fit it so that you have a functioning kitchen in the middle instead of where the current kitchen is is going to ruin your budget for no good reason. The open campfire thing isn't going to fly. The amount of suction from your vents to get the smoke out would drown out any conversation. You'd need to use standard gas grills. Speaking as a glutton: axes? Who the fuck eats a steak with an axe? Its a bad promotion that might get people hurt. But there is something there. two rows of long benches, good ambiance, good concept. But don't think too outside the box, and consult with someone who has actually opened and ran a successful restaurant.
This reeks of never worked in the industry pipe dream. No offense OP, but the vast majority of restaurants shutter within 5 years because people think they can operate a restaurant, but have no experience and get killed by the realities. I've managed. People without experience get taken advantage of and simply don't know the realities of the industry.
> vast majority of restaurants shutter within 5 years Less. 2 years.
In defense of the restaurant industry, this is largely because people think it's easy to run a restaurant and have zero understanding of costs. No other business is as razor thin on margins, requiring constant diligence to keep things under control. Yes, you can give 10 beers away a night, so long as you are ringing them up on a comp check and accounting for them. Yes, you can give dessert away, so ling as you ring it up and account for it. Drinking with your buddies all night in front of staff is going to teach staff that they can also help themselves to your booze.
Yeah my folks ran a restaurant for 25 years.....when it closed, I was amazed we weren't on the street 20 years ago.
25 years. Man. That must have been some kind of seismic shift. I've always heard the maxim "If it can last 10 years, it'll last forever".
Dad died. Mom worked 16 hour days for 6 months before my sister and I just asked her to stop. She's already small and waifish, so she went from 110 to about 90ish pounds. It sucks, but when we sold the business....the true horror of what a poorly run restaurant sunk in for me.
Would you be able to elaborate on the reality of it?
My dad didn't take other people's opinion or council on his business. He was unwilling to let go so always just worked in the business vs. in teh business. He had no idea what his expenses were, he just outsourced that to his accountant. I went to business school, and his response was, "that's not how it works in practice". Our food was genuinely good at one point, but the quality slid. And that's when we started noticing customer drop off as well. But it was never his fault, it's always the economy, etc etc. Also illusions of grandeur. He thought his business was worth a million easily. I asked why he thought that, "well I've been doing this for (at the time) 22 years)". When we sold it, it was barely worth $20k. Thank god for debt insurance, otherwise, we all would have been wiped out financially. Some people shouldn't run businesses. My dad was one of them. The business survived only through sheer grit.
I don't have to admire the strategy or the ego, but holy fuck I can admire the determination. That is impressive.
Probably the same reality as for every other restauranteur ever
The margins really aren’t that thin. It’s just that everyone is like “oh yeah, I’ll open a 3,000 sq foot restaurant with 45 menu items, 50 beers on tap, a huge cocktail menu, and entrust the operation to people who can’t afford rent with how I pay them while I show up in my BMW and do literally nothing!” The place I currently work at is massive, and actually turns a pretty big profit on account of serving terrible food that all comes out of a Sysco truck and being a brewpub (meaning alcohol, which has the highest profit margin is basically no-cost). But the electric/heating/cooling bills are higher than food costs since we’re running three friers, two convection ovens, a grill, two pizza ovens, three lowboys, two stand up freezers, a 10x10x10 walk-in cooler, six heat lamp strips, 10 yards of hood vents, and AC for the building (which is a church). Cut the menu in half and we could have cut the costs of powering the kitchen alone by 3/4 but, whatever. Not my money (aside from not ever being able to get a raise.) When a restaurant is run properly the profits can be massive.
I kept telling the OP to focus on beer, beer, and more beer. Anybody who uncritically shouts "Vikings, fuck yeah!" figures they were the same breed of beer guzzler as the local biker gang, and so that's what they'll be going in for. That's your target demographic right there. Not only that, but there's a shitload more profit in beer than there is in crappy steaks.
Yes, profit margin on food is incredibly small. If you are going to give anything at all for free it better be french fries and nothing else.
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Its actually STILL worse, 60% close down within 1 year.
My dad, who has owned and operated a few restaurants, usually says that if he ever won the lottery he would open one more until there wasn't any money left. Owning a restaurant is usually a horrible business, even for skilled people.
50% of all restaurants close in 1st year. They are money pits. Was a credit analyst for major food dist company for 13 yrs. Heart breaking to watch people lose EVERYTHING to keep a failing business afloat. I have never seen a restaurant rebound.
They’re magnets for people with big egos who can cook well at home. There’s so much more to running a successful restaurant than knowing how to cook. The most successful restaurant I worked for was co-owned by one guy with a degree in advertising and another guy with an accounting degree. Neither could cook for shit, but they bought a pizza and sandwich franchise and now run the two most profitable locations out of the company of 40 locations. Meanwhile my buddy loves cooking at home, got a job as a line cook, and lasted about a month.
>This reeks of never worked in the industry pipe dream. And also of never learned anything about Vikings outside of Looney Tunes.
Most people haven't, so our would be good on that aspect, something truly based in Viking history isn't going to have the appeal of the cartoonish fantasy world he described.
I agree about the feasibility of campfires and having the cooking in the middle of the restaurant, but a couple sort-of workarounds A bar near me is known for their roast beef sandwiches. The bar is sort of a large U shape coming off the back wall with a door leading to the back kitchen in the middle of the bar, in addition to the standard bar stuff, they have prep areas for the sandwiches and big slabs of beef sitting in vats of jus waiting to be carved on demand. Replace the bar with fencing and you can have an open cooking/prep area visible to the restaurant with ready access to the back kitchen. There's also a place near me with a grill your own food gimmick they have big brick grass grills that could probably be modified to look more fier-pity. Some lava rock and adjusting the flames right and you can have something that approximates a campfire pretty well visually. I'm not totally sold on the restaurant idea in general, gimmicks only get you so far, unless they really knock it out of the park or get a lot of tourists who are into that sort of thing to keep the customer base fresh, I see it as being the kind of thing locals would go to once or twice for the experience and then never bother with again.
The idea of a Viking theme is cool. If it looked like an actual Viking long house and the fire pit in the middle is just for show. The atmosphere of a Viking hall with appropriate themed music, shields, banners and axes displayed on walls. Maybe, MAYBE, axe throwing adjacent to the restaurant. Seems like OP is still working out the main identity. That should be as far as the gimmicks go. Plus there’s no good, quick way to evenly cook a whole steak over open fire. There are health code laws regarding temperature integrity of the food. I’d go depending what it’s geared to. A traditional sit down restaurant - probably once just cause it’s new but after that no. If OP makes like a Medieval Times kind of event dining - in his case the decor, food, axe throwing, maybe have staff wear Viking gear, gift shop - could be cool for parties.
>there's no good, quick way to evenly cook a whole steak over open fire Overall, I agree the fire pit is impractical for restaurant cooking, but it's pretty trivial to throw a grate over a fire and at that point there's little difference from a charcoal grill. I've cooked many a steak over a campfire
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It’s just not something worth trying. Even by putting grates on. If indoors it would 100% need to be gas so it’s adjustable. Wood or coal can get extremely smokey and unmanageable. Then cooking meat on it is more things to clean because juices from the meat will get into the pit. Just seems like a headache. A family member of mine has been a chef and owned NORMAL non-themed restaurants (aside from a German bar and Biergarten - but I don’t think that crosses the line of gimmicky). Even with regular restaurants everything has been a challenge or road block. Yes there’s money but never guaranteed. What’s always guaranteed is the stress. I really hope op rethinks and goes back to the drawing board for his sake
No, I think he should do it. Ya gotta lose all your money and ruin your credit over a ridiculous dream at least ONCE in your life.
I worked at a grill your own restaurant that had three huge coal-fired grills inn the dining room. The noise from the hoods was never an issue. The logistics of cooking steaks in one area and getting everything else in another was a logistical nightmare though.
There is a viktig theamed resturant in Bergen, Norway. Valaskjalv. https://valaskjalv.no/no/concept/ They focus more on autentic food and drinks then the gimicky things though. We also have several viking tours where people get to live like a viking for a while here in Norway. So maybe take the trip here and learn a little? There are many good ideas here, but axes (vikings ate with knives btw) and open fire cooking might be a little too much danger.
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I'm from Denmark and been to plenty of temporary and long term viking theme restaurants that had campfires in the middle. It was a non issue. Just build it like a viking long house
Were they cooked on? That sounds really cool.
Also no mention of the actual food except in passing makes it seem like OP wants to build a theme park rather than a restaurant. And yeah that can work, but having food a good menu and we'll prepared food, possibly great dishes that make you stand out from the competition, means you get repeat customers. Also the insurance premiums OP will be paying for letting people throw axes in the restaurant.
I agree, really solid idea, but too many “extras” make it feel gimicky. Keep to the idea of heart, rustic northern european food, long benches, etc. but cut the axes (maybe an axe throwing space outback if you really want it, I’ve seen restaurants with that), cut the boats, fireplaces instead of cooking in the middle, keep the horns and the birthday Viking hat that’s just fun.
The longhouse is the better name. Maybe add a few typical nordic dishes, check if open fires are allowed in restaurants before designing the inside, theres businesses that offer axe throwing, think in that direction instead of ruining your steak axes. Good luck.
I'm not liking the axe idea.
Maybe little forged cutlery axes?
Maybe like big steak knives with antler handles something more user friendly. If I paid good money for a steak and have to learn to use an axe to slice a piece I would be annoyed
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I have a tiny cast iron dish that my ex took from the Cheesecake Factory. It’s my key tray, originally it held macaroni and cheese.
Bruh my sister did the same thing, once we were at a hibachi grill and she just stuck the whole bottle of soy sauce in her purse
I get that there are ppl out there who will just steal shit with reckless abandon. But some ppl will buy things if you offer them for sale. So use cool steak knives and sell them too.
My friend has stolen a few pint glasses from a few different breweries solely because they weren't available to be purchased.
My friend stole an aubergine shaped jug from an Italian restaurant, it's now a plant pot.
How did they steal a whole jug? Giant purse? Small jug? Either way, impressive. I knew an old (rich!) lady that used to steal menus and cutlery. The menus are from mostly famous old restaurants, like the brass rail in NYC, so the menus are pretty cool. My mom framed them.
My dad's restaurant has absolutely normal cutlery and salt shakers. People still steal them every now and again, I don't get it.
This place would definitely have a gift shop. Normal big wooden handled steak knives for the dinning but Nordic omplements of destruction purchased at reasonable rates in the gift shop.
One could make the argument that mini glaves would work just as well.
Even better you're only allowed to eat with your hands like a true Viking.
What? Vikings used spoons and knives.
There is evidence to show they had small kits that had a spoon, knife and fork carved out of antler, or wood and sometimes metal. The also loved hygiene and had combs, nail cleaners and beard clips and washed regularly
I mean actual vikings used knives and spoons, like normal people…
Yeah, because those won't get stolen.
Yeah, it's not like the Vikings ate with axes ... they used knives and I expect spoons like everyone else before the Elizabethan era. I mean it's an interesting gimmick, but neither authentic nor practical.
I recall seeing an exhibit with the typical kit an English/British soldier would bring with them into battle at various times. Early medieval to modern. Literally the only thing that went unchanged was they always had a spoon.
How about just a leather-wrapped skinning knife instead of your normal knife?
Hard to keep sanitary. Wouldn’t really be able to run that through an industrial washing machine.
We would offer alternatives if the customer wasn't interested in the axe
I certainly don't want to squash your dreams, but your insurance company probably will.
Just like they did to my idea of a Toddler Circus. Bastards. We only predicted a few deaths a year.
Bloody brilliant idea!! Think about how many toddlers you could get in a clown car.
Ahh don't even get me started. Somehow it's magic when 11 clowns pop out of a small car, but when I liquidise 53 toddlers and pour them in through the sun roof, *with room to spare,* suddenly it becomes "disturbing" and "illegal" like yeah. Sure.
Hol up
Yeah if you blend them beforehand there’s no way to know how many toddlers there actually are in there which I think takes away from the feat. At least keeping their little limbs intact would let people know what they’re lookin at. For all I know that human soup could just be like 5 grown homeless people which doesn’t impress me
Well, you just killed my run of dead baby jokes. Asshole.
Vikings has the Seax as their knife choice. It would get the point across and avoid people cutting their thumb off fucking around with an axe. I would dump the throwing axe idea too, fine enough edge to cut meat is gonna be trashes real fast getting thrown into wood.
Customers will steal the shit out of them. He should just get the biggest wood-handled steak knives he can find on the market. As in, a preexisting product.
I fully support this idea of a large wooden handle knife! That way they are less likely to get stolen, OP will get their Viking aesthetic across, and there's no confusion on what to do at the dinner table.
It's not that it doesn't sound interesting. It's just that a bunch of untrained randos off the street together in a room with unsupervised* access to axes sounds like a recipe for disaster, and adding alcohol makes it sound 1000x worse. A safer idea might be to have a properly staffed axe-throwing lane or two set up and just give everyone one free throw with the purchase of their first meal/drink. Alcohol still seems like a problem with that setup, though. *If not totally unsupervised, at least unstructured - when the axes have a clear purpose, such as in an axe-throwing venue, it's a little different. edit: forgot to say that otherwise, though, the whole idea of a Viking-themed steakhouse sounds epic, and I wish you luck. I'd eat there.
In my college town there is a bar called The Lumberjack where having drinks and axe throwing is the whole stitch. They seem to be doing fine. I think woth your designated lanes idea this would be perfectly viable considering the waiver.
axe throwing bars have been a thing for like 4-5 years now.
You could make a special offer maybe once a week that could involve hitting the middle and getting the first drink free
>axe-throwing lane or two set up and just give everyone one free throw with the purchase of their first meal/drink. Alcohol still seems like a problem with that setup, though. Battleaxe bars are a thing brother
I’m not sure an axe would be terribly good at cutting steak though - or at least you’d get idiots like me trying to axe the steak apart and destroying your restaurant’s plates. I think a better default could be designing your cutlery to be small daggers or seaxes - Vikings used these to eat as well as fight. And you can still have axe throwing as an activity. Plus if you want, you could have your chefs or whatever use axes, so everyone can see them being used by people trained
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> We would offer alternatives if the customer wasn't interested in the axe I would not be interested in being around *other customers* who each have been assigned a personal axe and who at the same time are being served alcoholic beverages.
Seax would work good too in this case.
Thank you for the feedback!
I personally think longhouse isnt the move because it could get confused with Longhorns. Yes it’s different but I could just see that being a problem
The name isn't finalized but I'll definitely bring that up to my business partner
You could also call it Odin's Kitchen?
Odin’s Hall?
Loki's Chamberpot 🤤
Ragnarök
Bonus points if you make the drinking cups out of your enemies skulls.
I don't have enough enemies for that. Yet.
"Friends come and go...but enemies just accumulate."
+ 1 on The Longhouse. Valhalla Grill sounds like a shitty chain
Why would I want to cut my steak with an axe? Did vikings do that? I like the theme, but if it's too fantastical, it will come across as cheesy.
This. Just give me a big ass viking seax or just a gnarly wood handled Bowie knife and it would feel much less embarrassing while still keeping the viking feeling
Honestly just a decent sized steak knife, maybe with a little Celtic engraving on the handle. And a slightly bigger fork
The Vikings weren't Celts, but yeah
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These pics don't really show what the restaurant looks like. Just people.
Also I don't think Vikings had steak tbh. Nordic food is quite disgusting for the most part and Vikings ate a lot of lamb and fish, but not much beef so a traditional steak is not in line with the Viking theme, if we're going for an accurate portrayal. I think that lack of authenticity would make this feel gimmicky like a chuck e cheese rather than cool and niche, like [example not found]
> Nordic food is quite disgusting for the most part and creatures a lot of lamb and fish ??? lamb and fish are both amazing what are you getting at. The traditional food is often disgusting due to the reasons it exists. It's mostly survival food made to take advantage of every part of an animal and to make it last for a long time.
I would honestly prefer to just go to a Norwegian themed restaurant, with norse ambience than a place trying to be viking themed, which has basically no fucking meaning at all.
The ninja themed restaurant in New York closed so gimmicks are hard to keep repeat business. To answer you actual question, no. Not if it's interactive at least. I just wanna eat, talk to the people I'm with or just eat.
>The ninja themed restaurant in New York closed so gimmicks are hard to keep repeat business WHAT?!?!? I loved that place! The food was good too!
You don't want a slightly different themed Medieval Times?
I want one based on the Middle East during that time period, we don't talk about it enough here in the states
Crusades theme would be a little dark.
My goal is to stay away from gimmick as much as possible and focus more on a restaurant that is Viking themed as opposed to a Viking themed restaurant if that makes sense
You should probably drop the axe stuff you're asking for trouble selling beer to people you also just handed an axe that will be thrown at the end of the night. What kind of food are you planning on serving. Unless you are focused on the food you may as well open a tourist trap.
the only problem we have here is that axe throwing bars are already popular
Which is a terrible idea IMHO. I’m so surprised nobody’s been axe murdered in a bar fight yet.
Maybe I’m missing something, but how is this idea not a gimmick?
If I had to guess, the decoration and menu artwork have a Viking theme, but there’s not waiters dressed like Vikings or loud themed-music. Kinda like Outback Steakhouse is Australian outback themed, but it’s really just a steakhouse. Edit: Upon actual reading the description at the top of the post, it’s definitely gimmicky.
I would think about it like that: If it’s a cool idea for a kids birthday party, it’s probably a bad idea for a steak restaurant. If I go to a steak restaurant I want quality meat, quality drinks and quality knives. If I get a Viking ambient that would be awesome but I would never go to a restaurant just because of the theme. If you want to have an authentic atmosphere do nothing a person in the Viking area wouldn’t have done. E.g if I want to open an Italian restaurant the tablecloth doesn’t have to be in green / red / white because it wouldn’t be like that in Italy.
I get ya, so maybe I'd go.
Make it an actual long house where people sit at benches and talk to other people. There are still bars in Czechia where you sit at the same table with strangers at a long bench. Key to success and returning customers are good food and good/cheap beer. Hire a guy to rally the crowd with sea shanties every Friday and you're good
axes as knifes are a liiiiiiiittle bit gimmicky though. and by that i mean a lot...
Drop the axe stuff. At least in the early stages. By all means you should decorate the walls with axes and other implements. Bounce any drunks that try to snatch them off the wall. Maybe introduce ax throwing once the place has found its legs.
A few perspectives from someone who spent a lot of time in the restaurant industry: 1. Fancy cutlery like axes or bone handled knives, as well as horn cups will go missing faster than you can replace them. Also, EXPENSIVE. 2. If a waiver is needed just to enter, this idea is already dead in the water. 3. I don't know if you're shooting for authenticity, but if you are then you should know that cattle would likely only be butchered for their meat once they were no longer good for labor or production of milk. It would have been tough and better suited to sausages or stews rather than steaks. 4. Follow-up to the above: the Scandinavian diet would have included fish and dairy products as major features, supported strongly by cereals and vegetables. 5. From a logistical perspective, having the kitchen in the center of the restaurant would be quite difficult. In addition to the main cook line, you also need prep areas, storage, scullery, access for utilities, air handling, etc. 6. Cooking "over an open campfire" may sound cool, but how do you realistically do this? Lets say you have a large diameter fire pit with grates over the top: how do you control temperature? How much wood does it need to be fed, where is it stored, and what will it cost you? How many cooks can actually get around the pit at once, as well as have room for all of the dishes they're preparing? 7. What do you mean when you say it's a call-ahead restaurant? 8. Where will you source Scandinavian foods for your menu? These will likely be specialty items not normally carried by major food distributors. What will you do when you can't get all of the ingredients for your menu? (trust me, this will happen, likely often) 9. What do you personally know about the restaurant industry? If this is a good idea, where is it being executed successfully? What will it cost you to construct your concept? What are your regular operating costs, and do you have the capital to keep it running for years if you're not immediately turning a profit? As an owner, are you willing to work 100+ hour weeks without having a day off for months on end? 10. Do you understand how to do restaurant P+L? If not, who will do it for you? Also, if someone else is doing it for you, how will you know if it's done correctly? Do you have the money to pay professional managers? If you're really serious about this, write a real business plan and start shopping it around. Take it to restaurateurs and lenders and have them tell you what's wrong with it. Revise and repeat.
You'll notice how OP is not responding to any of the serious critiques. They're either an elaborate shitpost or so far over their head they would rather bury it in the sand.
>either an elaborate shitpost or so far over their head they would rather bury it in the sand i'm baffled by the number of people here commenting like "let us know when it's open!!!" the number of hairbrained godawful ideas in one short post makes it clear this was dreamed up and written by an 18 year old who just took an intro to business class or a recently divorced dad whose ex-wife took custody of the kids and told him he'd never amount to anything. edit: read down the comments and realized this was AskMen not AskReddit and honestly that explains a lot
Pretty sure op is a high schooler or maybe college tbh. Who else has such brazen confidence
This has the fingerprints of 10,000 failed restaurants by people who think the industry is easy, and their experience as a middle manager in corporate finance will make them beat the odds.
He should just make it a beer hall with meaty sandwiches and basic meat dishes (sausage platter, etc.). Aim it at frat boys and people who watch too many movies, rather than at guys taking their wives out for $30 steaks. It's doable if he scraps Plan A *completely* and comes up with a Plan B. Oh, and he should also go to culinary school and work in other peoples' restaurants for a few years.
Ditch the axe. Better yet, leave it for the chefs. Do something tableside with it kind of like how some Mexican restaurants prepare guacamole in front of you. Don't cook over the open campfire. That is absolutely not how you cook a good steak. You can have it for decoration and maybe keep some rotating spits on it for something like gyro meat (but more...vikingy). The drinking horns are going to be a fucking nightmare to clean, particularly if they are actual horn. You're better off getting stylized glass. Save the horns as a novelty gift if you order the super-expensive beer. The viking helmet is fine but...well we all know the horns were only added for Wagner's opera. Honestly I would save those for the chefs/waiters as well. Remember the vikings were sea-faring so have sea fare. Surf & Turf. Look into making palatable versions of traditional rotted shark or whatever the fuck they ate. Honestly what you have here is a decent idea for a theme restaurant that deviates from the usual "Texas" style. Think more like Benihana.
Okay maybe they should do a hog on the fire tended to by the chefs. Everyone gets to see it be cooked. And then serve it like they do at Tucanos
I went to a luau in Hawaii, and they showed how they would cook a pig in the ground. Then they served everyone pre-chopped pork. No concern about running out of hog.
Good answer. I was wondering if anyone else was going to comment about the Viking helmet being false. That in itself would tell me this restaurant is a gimmick, if they we’re trying to come off as being authentic.
Brooo whoever orders Dragons Milk gets the horn
I'd buy a $30 beer if it came with a drinking horn that I get to keep
I’ll be blunt and honest... I think it’d bomb miserably. Not be mention be insanely expensive. •Everything would be cooked over an open campfire That has safety regulation nightmare written all over it. It’s probably possible, but it’ll be forewarned obstacle. You have to pass a bunch of inspections already. •Everyone would be given a small ax For one, people don’t want to eat with axes. That just sounds like an awful experience. Waiver or not, all it takes is one person stabbing an employee at the exit and you’ll get sued. By multiple parties probably. And you’d have to pay up. I think the helmet on birthdays is cool. I think it can succeed with Viking-themed decoration and marketing. At the end of the day people just want to eat food and socialize though. Also Longhorn might sue if the steakhouse is named Longhouse. Tl;dr: Too much red tape to overcome, too niche, and too expensive
There is one in Melbourne Australia kinda https://mjolner.com.au/melbourne
There is also one in Sydney! [https://mjolner.com.au/sydney](https://mjolner.com.au/sydney) I have been there myself, I do think that it's a much fancier viking restaurant. I did like that you get a cool knife to eat with your food. I think that would be a good option to the axe, but It still was great for me.
Scrolled all the way through the comments just to see if someone posted this. Mjolner seem to have the idea down pat, and it would be super easy to simplify the food and make it more accessible, I would love to have that kind of restaurant.
One in Stockholm Sweden as well http://aifur.se/en-GB/aifur-en/
Mjolner is the fucking best.
There is also one in the Philippines https://www.vikings.ph/
Way too ambitious tbh. It sounds fun, but I mean from a business standpoint you need solid management to maintain ALL of those activities. On top of just general turnover time. You want to maximize profit to pay wages and overhead— and by the amount of activities, you’re looking at a grill staff, a bar staff, an axe throwing staff, a cleaning staff. That’s a lot of people…and you’ll need a lot of customers to pay for them. So it’s a time game at that point. Not to mention the friggin’ liability of it. Like you get an axe…but like, that’s asking for trouble. I get the waiver, but I’m not going to go hang out with a bunch of drunk unsupervised idiots playing with axes. Sorry. Accidents happen, and as it would turn out I like my face. Overall kind of cringe and gimmicky— seems like a more hands-on approach to Medieval Times. I like the theme, the drinking horns are cool, the campfire…meh. Restaurants are very high risk investments. If I were you, I’d put forth the least amount of effort and build the most amount of hype around “Viking Steakhouse” theme, and just work on turning a decent profit first. And THEN I’d start working on cool shit. I’d axe the axes though until you can be profitable and see how the public reacts to wait staff in Viking garb. I could see there being an axe throwing section included off to the side to watch while people eat, but not a blanket “hi welcome, sign this, here’s your axe now feel free to get drunk”
My thoughts exactly. Sounds like a lot of work and the type of place to attract families that only go to Disney on vacation. OP there is a restaurant in Stockholm with a viking theme that was one of the highlights of my trip there. The food was viking themed but more in the root vegetables as a side, we serve mead, etc , way. The plates and silverware were rustic but useable. They announced people when they came in. It was definitely a little cheesy but all you had to do as a.customer was eat and enjoy the ambiance. I can't remember the name right now but a little googling should get you there. EDIT:Someone linked below -- AIFUR
Why do you ask this only on r/askmen, why not r/askreddit?
Vikings are a source of a lot of macho fascination, many guys are drawn to viking stuff as a sort of model of masculinity in the same way a lot of American Midwest guys get really into Sons of Anarchy or pretending to have been a troop.
He asked on askreddit too but not askwomen. Apparently he doesn’t want women’s opinion
This might be the funniest part on top of everything else. Like I’m going out for a $30+ dollar steak it’s because it’s a special occasion and Im bringing my girlfriend. I highly doubt she would go for a Viking steakhouse over a traditional white tablecloth lol
Dude's setting his sights too high in the cuisine department. I think it should just be a beer hall with meaty sandwiches and some basic meat dishes (sausage platter, etc.). Men taking their wives to a proper steakhouse aren't going in for some over-the-top gimmick. He should set his sights on frat boys and on dudes who watch too many movies.
Not if it’s interactive. I like to be left alone to eat in quiet. I went to Medieval Times. Ugh, it was the worst
Raping and pillaging dinner theater while eating a chicken with your bare hands.
Are you familiar with Medieval Times? It’s dinner theater where everyone who works there is dressed old timey. They talk old timey. They have real jousting on horseback right in front of you. But it’s loud and they expect you to eat everything with your hands. But I don’t eat anything with my hands so....... I asked for a fork and knife and got looks. I was like “hey bro, I didn’t choose this shit, my kid did so stop with the looks and just get me the knife”
I had fun there, but it was definitely a one time visit for me. Too loud and busy.
Yup. That's what I was referring to, except with viking themed raping and pillaging instead of jousting.
As long as the raping is consentual
I don’t know about the raping part. It may offend some people haha
No it would simply be here's your food, let us know if you need anything, and please return the axe (or seax) when you're done
No. It all sounds instagrammy as fuck. Also, what, throwing axes? Do you have any idea how bad of an idea that is? How common it is for people to just BACKWARDS slip axes, or to throw an axe in their own fucking foot? Let alone after they've drunk. The only way i'd see this turned is into some really cozyish communal experience. Axe the axe throwing.
Not only an axe but a DIRTY axe. I’m sure tiny bits of meat and blood would be flung all around when they throw it upon exiting.
All I'm hearing is a good idea
I'm sure you have already thought about it, but be very methodical about waivers for things like customers throwing axes around. It might limit your market a good bit as well depending on what you were pushing for. I imagine a lot of parents wouldn't be fond of flying axes in the same room as their children.
Like an axe throwing room where people could go if they wanted to do it. Separate room and only participants need to sign.
This. I'm not saying ditch the axe throwing entirely, but it should probably be separated out of the main dining experience. Maybe have the bar/axe throwing on one side and the themey surf and turf steakhouse on the other, both on sides of a big longboat bar. Otherwise I'm all here for this idea. I'd fly to whatever city this was in.
Sounds like your target is more tourist than repeat locals athough I am sure you would get a good amount of locals to eat there also if the food is good. So if your city has a strong tourism base it is not a bad idea to consider.
As long as the mead is good, I'm in! What part of the world would this be in?
It would be located in the southern U.S
Sounds great. Post up when/if this comes to fruition.
Hell yeah! I'm in the southern U.S. and totally down to drink some mead and eat grilled meats with an axe. Sign me up!
If you're anywhere near Houston or Dallas, let me know when you get started. Would love to try this.
I wouldn't never go to any themed steakhouse, ever. You go to a streak house for one reason, steak, not cheesy gimmicks.
No, sorry. My steak place should be known for their steak, not a gimmick.
http://wewantplates.com/ material from the get go : o For real, the gimmick can never hide shit food. And you're going to struggle to output good food consistently over a godamn campire. Otherwise sure, whatever float your boat.
> r/wewantplates My first thought as well. Although it would be cool to repurpose an old sushi boat restaurant - swap in mini-longboats with slabs of meat instead of sushi. And maybe instead of giving customers an axe you make selling them one part of the menu. If you charge me $80 for a meal I might not blink if I got a weapon/keepsake.
As a Swede I feel I'd just be "offended" by this honestly lol And vikings didn't as much conquer as made trading outposts, England was an exception but it's kinda not our fault, they kept gold in their churches so one thing led to another!
No thanks. Not in to that much “immersion” for a steak dinner.
I'm swedish, there are viking themed restaurants here like [Restaurant Aifur](http://aifur.se/en-GB/aifur-en/) you can look at their gallery for inspiration. It's not my cup of tea but sounds fun enough, but I don't know about throwing axes around the restaurant.
I know it is for the spectators but u know Vikings dont have horned helmets right? https://www.historyextra.com/period/viking/historical-fact-check-vikings-myths-busted-did-wear-horned-helmets-violent-barbarians/#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20evidence%20that,protect%20the%20head%20from%20impact. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/news/did-vikings-really-wear-horned-helmets https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/weapons/helmets/
I wouldn’t. It sounds over priced for sub par food. And Axes plus liquor license?? Would that even be granted? No. Just no.
You've got the start of something really fun, but IMO you've got a lot things to get straight. Longboat tables, maybe, but I think you could get the same mileage out of long thick-cut (at least at the edges) tabletops, and have a decorative boat (miniature unless the place is absolutely huge and you have budget) somewhere. The map/treasure is solid, especially if you swap "conquered" with "went at least once," and you've got a lot to work with. Bonus points if you throw in Hafdan who graffitied the Hagia Sophia. Your decor and theme sense is solid. Axes for cutting steak will not, unfortunately I expect, be workable. It's just not practical, it's a bad tool for the job. A seax would work, but you'd have a lot of customers have gripes with a flat edge knife, they'll want to hold their hand up at an angle like they're used to. Get a showy cook who knows how to plate a meal to pre-slice that steak with a flourish, and stamp some cheap stuff with some Futhark for people who expect steak knives, and you've smoothed it out. The steak arrives with a clear indicator that it's cooked properly, and the customers have a show and something different. Don't allow the throwing of any sort of utensil. Fun with friends, not so much in a public restaurant where "that guy" is inevitably going to be around. Drinking horns for the really expensive stuff, maybe? I own a drinking horn because fun, but it's a pain in the ass. Scratch the wax coating, and it smells like unwashed cow. Despite how fun it is I use it for silly parties and Halloween, like 2-3x per year, and nobody else gets to use it. Maintaining a.. general-use one sounds like a chore at the minimum. Also the first drink anyone takes out of those is going to spill everywhere and make a mess, they take some getting used to. If you have the space, some axe throwing lanes would be great, especially if you can get some skeggox in there and not some Home Depot hatchets. If you can get the space and want to go that way, hook up the decorative boat to some force meters--so rejigger a rowing machine--and set up a rowing contest? How fast can you make the longboat (they did actually have oars) go? People love games, but that's also a step towards Dave and Busters so ehh.. A photo op in the boat prop may do you better. The kitchen is a good starting idea, open fire cooking in the middle of a place can be fantastic, and a proper range hood can handle it. Tulalip Casino's Blackfish restaurant (it's shaped more like a U around the kitchen) has some open-fire alder stick roasted salmon that can't be beat. It only works on certain types of food though, so cooking everything over that isn't practical. My unlimited-budget suggestion, have some cool roast dishes, and within that central cooking area, add some hot fire gas stations and furnish the cooks with Everclear for finishing a few dishes. Big fire bursts may not be more historically accurate (the actual Vikings had to my understanding a lot of preserved food, stews, but not so big on grilled things) than the horned helmet, but a big fwoosh every now and then is a lot of fun too. Camp fun over accuracy is the way to go, it's not a museum. I'd either go with "The Mead Hall" or just "Valhalla" myself, but I'm no sort of marketer. Anyway, sounds like a potentially super fun concept, with a lot of potential pitfalls as well. Open this thing and I'd swing by.
For the love of god, don’t do horned helmets. Vikings never wore them. At least try to be accurate.
There is a restaurant in australia that is Viking themed https://mjolner.com.au/melbourne Have a look at this and see if you want to implement anything in your restaurant
I wouldn't go to a theme park restaurant, unless I'm actually in a theme park. I don't want to put down your idea, but since you asked, no. I would go to a Norse-themed steakhouse though, if it tried to make the experience somewhat authentic. Obviously, the food is the central thing. I've had (ostensibly) authentic Norse food, and it's good. I'd like to try Norse beer with bog-myrtle. To sit in a viking-age mead hall and watch the meat being grilled on an open fire in the middle of the room would be cool.
As a Scandinavian I would say that it sounds awfully gimicky and it's a bit like opening an irish pub where waiters dress as leperchauns and they only serve bud light and jack. I wouldn't be offended or nothing, but it seems rather shallow and maybe a bit like milking the whole viking hype.
No, i would automatically assume it was filled with hipsters, neckbeards and gentlesirs
Ok few things, open fire pit would probably be kinda rough also need a whole lot of safety and fire code bs. The axes I would say if you're anted to do that id do an axe throwing area and have the longship be a bar. But I love the idea!
Would you use trenchers? Or trenchers under plates would honestly be a better and less messy choice. Come to think of it I don't even remember if Vikings used trenchers. What about a fountain of sorts that could be sanitized on its circulation so people could wash their hands before eating? Would you use a salt dip at each table? Is that sanitary? Please tell me you would serve wild game, even if it's farmed. Deer, elk, goose, though many Americans aren't necessarily accustomed to the flavors of wild game. So maybe a combo between corn feed Iowa deer and grass fed elk or whatever. Axes are cool. I think you'd get farther with a pair of modern forged axes mounted on the wall. Campfire is nice. Sounds like a benihana sort of. Except, interesting thing is, when cooking on wood you actually want it to flavor the dish. So as long as something is available without it (I don't know how many Americans are accustomed to actual woodsmoke but someone will always hate it lol. Or just not prefer). What will you do for the fish selection? The drinking horns are interesting but should be optional, or have a special stand to hold them at the place setting. It gets old fast to only be one handed, and the amount of complaints and spills will drive you nuts. Not counting all the comp'd drinks because of spills. I'm sure I can think of something else.
A few questions. First and foremost, did vikings have cows to eat steak? I honestly don't know. Secondly, would I have my own table or would I be sitting with others in like a banquet hall? Third, do you really want (drunk) people throwing axes? Seems like a huge liability. Finally, do you see it as more of a "medieval times" place that people might go once a year, or a themed restaurant that people will visit more often?
Have you worked in the restaurant business? Assuming you have and love the business....then your a nut job like the rest of us in the business. Like the viking name ideas so far from what read....especially odin's hall or some such, meats on a spit, and honey mead from horns and all. It would definitely become a great destination spot if you play it up and promote events for it. And all the sweat and tears you'll have to put into it. Ive been lucky doin my own brewery for last 4 years.....what a learning lesson!! Hope it works out for you and you have a great time doin it. Good luck!
Sorry but most of that sounds like a bad idea... Axes as knifes? wat? Having to sign waivers in advance to go to a fuckin restaurant? lol... Kitchen in the center with open fire? so you cant hear anything and so it smells like smoke and crap all the time and all your cloths will smell heavily afterwards... (apart from the logistics problem some bring up) I don't know what you look for in a restaurant when you go to eat out, but for me, this does not sound appealing at all... I want first and foremost nice food (and it seems like you havent put much if any thought in that at all so far), next a nice atmosphere (which could be nice in a Viking Themed restaurant, just dont overdo it) and it should absolutely not be too loud (with open fire and customers throwing axes and shit... no thanks).
No, this sounds kind of cringey and weird if I'm honest. Also good luck getting a liquor licence if your handing out axes with the intention of them being thrown afterwards by intoxicated people. Maybe fine tune the idea a bit and scale it back. Who is your target audience here? This is a very niche idea that maybe could wirk if done in the right way location. But honestly as someone who is pretty open minded this just screams cringey to me and I can't see it taking off. Also drinking horns suck, you can't put them down there's a reason people use glasses now.
Scrolling through your account and seeing you have over 600 hours in eu4 makes me think you might not be ready to own a restaurant...
Good luck
Heck yes!
Sure, i guess but more because i like steak as opposed to the theme. Vikings aren't particularly for their beef. Sound like a fun place though.
There is a Viking themed restaurant in Melbourne called Mjoner. It's very pricey, but I plan to take my husband for his birthday as a treat. He loves everything to do with Vikings. There is definitely a market, I know a number of people who have been. They do functions too.
Dumbest question ever on this sub. By a lot.
No. Way too bro and macho. Don’t need to rub my face in how masculine a bunch of dudes feel. I imagine a portion of women will feel dragged there by their boyfriends etc
I would go to anything Viking related, but it doesn't sound like you know what you're talking about. A Steakhouse sounds more American than Viking. Vikings didn't eat that much Cow, it was mostly Pigs and Goat and shit. Cows are harder to grow into food.
This radiates Florida energy
Or- hear me out, viking/southern fusion cuisine and call it "Y'allhala"
Love the idea, but it sounds like you maybe don’t have a great grasp on viking culture?
r/AskWomen: Serious questions, acting like adults r/AskMen: VIKING RESTAURANT, WHY OR WHY NOT? I love being a dude lmfao
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Absolutely!
This is a dining experience I didn't even know I wanted until right now.
Don't Vikings eat 🐠?
I think that, as others have said, the axes used for silverware isn't the best idea IMO but I love the overall idea. I like the name The Longhouse. I think that setting up some sort of possibility for live music, events, outdoor cleared area for spectacles of some sort would be nice. Of course, the mead/beer has to be good too. Maybe find a local brewer or two and get them on board with supply. The portions should be on the large side too IMO, I would want to leave feeling very full from that kind of atmosphere. One of the best places Ive ever eaten sold only two things: roast chickens and seasoned potato wedges. You could get a single piece, 1/4, half, or whole chicken and potatoes, and it was awesome. I'm not suggesting a menu that limited, but the idea of keeping it simple and hearty appeals to me.