Restel Oy

What Restel Oy does

Restel Oy is a Finnish restaurant services conglomerate and one of Finland's largest restaurant operators, headquartered in Helsinki and wholly owned by Tradeka-Yhtiöt Oy. The company directly operates nearly 200 restaurant locations across Finland spanning Helsinki to Rovaniemi, organized through wholly-owned subsidiaries such as Restel Fast Food Oy, Restel Ravintolat Oy, Restel Mexican Food Oy, CPR Finland Oy (Classic Pizza), Hangon Makaronitehdas Oy (Makaronitehdas), and Bastion Catering Oy. Its portfolio combines international franchise brands (Burger King with 64 Finnish locations, Taco Bell) with domestic concepts (Rax Pizzabuffet, Classic Pizza, Makaronitehdas, Wanha Mestari since 1987, Kaarle XII) and a growing food-and-events vertical operating restaurants at major Finnish venues including the National Opera, Casino Helsinki, Paasitorni, Metro Areena, and Paviljonki Jyväskylä.

Restel serves two principal customer segments. The first is individual consumers reaching it through nearly 200 directly operated restaurants, mobile ordering applications for Burger King, Taco Bell, Rax and Food&Events, the cross-brand Restis digital gift card system, and a 12-month loyalty points program. The second is corporate and event clients served by the Food&Events division for corporate events, weddings, conferences, catering, and venue rentals, supported by a dedicated corporate sales function. Revenue is generated predominantly through physical restaurant food and beverage sales (transaction-based), event catering and venue rentals (professional services), and gift card / loyalty monetization. The company also engages in employer-of-record activity through summer job programs, apprenticeship partnerships with AVA-Akatemia and Xoompoint, and employee benefits arrangements with Epassi and Scandic.

In 2025 Restel deepened its highway-side dining presence through the Huili partnership with Neste — a new proprietary rest-stop restaurant and café concept targeting 33 locations across the Neste station network by end of 2025 — operated through the subsidiary Restel Taukopaikat Oy. Operating technology consists of mobile applications for ordering, pre-ordering, takeaway, loyalty points, digital gift cards, and customer account management; the company is aligned with parent Tradeka's UN Global Compact and Paris Climate Agreement commitments, reporting a 52,210 tCO2e footprint in 2023.

Name

Restel Oy

Legal name

Restel Oy

Website

https://restel.fi

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Restel Oy is Finland's largest restaurant services provider, operating nearly 200 directly-managed locations across the country including Burger King, Taco Bell, Rax, Classic Pizza, Makaronitehdas, and Food&Events venues, serving Finnish consumers and corporate event clients through multi-brand restaurants, mobile apps, loyalty programs, and a new Huili rest-stop concept at Neste stations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Services

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (722320), Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Foodservice-Led Convenience Stores (QSR/Hot Food Focus) (CRAHABAH)

Keywords

• Restaurant services
• Fast food franchise
• Event catering
• Casual dining
• Restaurant operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food & Beverage Sales: Direct restaurant sales across multiple concepts including fast food (Burger King, Taco Bell, Rax), casual dining (Classic Pizza, Makaronitehdas), bars (Wanha Mestari), and event venues (Food&Events). Sales occur at physical locations, via take-away, and through delivery.
2. Event Catering & Venue Rental: Corporate events, weddings, meetings, and catering services at event venues including the National Opera, Casino Helsinki, Paasitorni, and Metro Areena. Includes custom catering for events of various sizes.
3. Gift Cards: Physical and digital gift cards sold at restaurants and through mobile apps. Gift cards carry balances of €10-500 for standard cards, €20-200 for Burger King self-service kiosks. Cards expire 12 months from loading.
4. Loyalty Program: Loyalty points (Loyalty-pisteitä) earned on purchases through Burger King, Rax, and Taco Bell apps. Points valid for 12 months from collection date, redeemable for free product rewards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Restel Oy operates a diversified portfolio of nearly 200 directly managed restaurants across Finland, spanning fast-food franchises (Burger King, Taco Bell), buffet and casual-dining chains (Rax Pizzabuffet, Classic Pizza, Makaronitehdas, Wanha Mestari), event venue restaurants (Food&Events at the National Opera, Metro Areena, Paviljonki), nightlife (Kaarle XII), and the new Huili highway rest-stop concept for Neste stations. The company also sells physical and digital gift cards (€10-500 standard range) usable across all its brands, and supplies corporate catering and venue rental services through a dedicated B2B sales team.

Product overview

Restel Oy is a Finnish restaurant service conglomerate operating a diversified portfolio of restaurant brands and concepts across Finland, from fast food to fine dining. The offering is not a single unified product but a multi-brand platform comprising international franchise chains (Burger King, Taco Bell), buffet chains (Rax Pizzabuffet), casual dining (Classic Pizza, Makaronitehdas, Wanha Mestari), event restaurants (Food&Events Tapahtumaravintolat), individual food restaurants (Food&Events Ruokaravintolat), nightlife venues (Kaarle XII), and a new rest-stop concept (Huili). Supporting digital products include mobile apps for Food&Events, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Rax brands, plus the Restis digital gift card system that spans all brands. The company also offers corporate sales and catering services through its Food&Events division.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Burger King: Flame-grilled hamburgers restaurant chain, international franchise brand operating since 1954
• Taco Bell
• Rax Pizzabuffet
• Wanha Mestari
• Classic Pizza
• Makaronitehdas
• Huili
• Food&Events
• Kaarle XII

Products and services

• Burger King Finland International flame-grilled hamburger fast-food franchise operated by Restel in Finland. Signature burgers prepared from 100% beef with sesame seed buns made in Finland. Available at 64 Finland locations including a drive-through Kokkola restaurant opened in early 2024.
• Taco Bell Finland Mexican-style fast-food franchise operated by Restel in Finland. Made-to-order tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and nachos with the brand slogan 'Live más!'.
• Rax Pizzabuffet All-you-can-eat buffet restaurant chain offering a wide selection of pizzas, salads, and soft-serve ice cream. Customers build their own plate.
• Classic Pizza Premium pizza restaurant chain combining tradition with continuous innovation. Offers a range of premium pizzas with both classic and surprising topping combinations, accompanied by full dining experience including ambiance and service. Operates multiple locations across Finland including Turku Hansakortteli.
• Makaronitehdas Fresh pasta restaurant concept focused on making Finland's freshest organic pasta on-site using an Italian pasta machine. Offers handcrafted fresh pasta dishes with sauces and sausages made in the same kitchen.
• Wanha Mestari Traditional pub restaurant chain offering a relaxed atmosphere, newspapers, and draft beer. Operated as a comfortable neighbourhood pub across multiple Finnish locations.
• Food&Events Tapahtumaravintolat (Event Restaurants) Event restaurant concept operating at Finland's largest event venues including Veikkaus Arena, Paasitorni, Casino Helsinki, National Opera and Ballet, Tanssin Talo, Metro Areena, and Jyväskylä Paviljonki. Also provides catering services across Finland with a dedicated B2B sales team reachable at [email protected].
• Food&Events Ruokaravintolat (Food Restaurants) Collection of individual food restaurants operated under the Food&Events brand including Mestaritalli (Töölö), Central (Ullanlinna), Martina (Pori), Keisarinsatama (Kotka), Muikkuravintola Sampo (Kuopio), Bastion Bistro (Helsinki), and O'Learys (Espoo).
• Kaarle XII Helsinki nightlife destination featuring six bars, three distinct music worlds, and two dance floors. Also available for private events and parties.
• Huili Modern rest-stop restaurant and café concept launched for the Neste station network. 33 Huili locations to open across Finland by end of 2025, combining quality food, inspiring environment, and personal service. Operated by subsidiary Restel Taukopaikat Oy.

Quantifiable outcome

• 33 modern Huili rest stops planned across Finland at Neste gas stations by end of 2025

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Neste (for Huili concept)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Restel partnered with Neste to launch Huili, a modern rest stop restaurant and café brand. By end of 2025, 33 Huili locations will open at Neste gas stations across Finland. Huili represents a new restaurant-café concept transforming the Finnish gas station food market.
• Tradeka-Yhtiöt Oy (Owner)coreOthersTradeka-Yhtiöt Oy is the owner of Restel Oy. Tradeka defines Restel's sustainability commitments including UN Global Compact and Paris Climate Agreement targets. Restel is included in Tradeka's sustainability reporting.
• Barona (Recruitment)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBarona handles some recruitment processes and open applications for Restel. Job seekers can apply through Barona's platform for positions at Restel's restaurants.
• AVA-Akatemia (Training)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestel Akatemia is implemented in partnership with AVA-Akatemia, offering employees training programs including business degrees, leadership training, and job orientation courses.
• Burger King (Franchise)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRestel operates Burger King franchise restaurants in Finland. Burger King is an international fast food brand known for flame-grilled burgers since 1954. Restel operates 64 Burger King locations in Finland.
• Taco Bell (Franchise)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRestel operates Taco Bell franchise restaurants in Finland. Taco Bell is a Mexican-style fast food chain founded in California in 1962, operating in 28 countries with over 7,000 restaurants worldwide.
• Epassi (Employee Benefits)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRestel offers employees up to 70 varying employee benefits through partner companies including Epassi for sports, culture, wellness, and commute benefits.
• Scandic Hotels (Employee Benefits)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRestel employees receive significant benefits at Scandic Hotels for accommodation, supporting employee wellness and travel.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Fazer Group: Fazer is a major Finnish food company with bakery, confectionery, and Food Services divisions serving restaurants, cafés, and workplaces across the Nordics. Comparable as a Finnish-headquartered food-services operator with overlapping customer segments.
• Kotipizza Group (Nordic Pizza Company): Kotipizza is a Finnish pizza franchise chain that overlaps with Restel's Classic Pizza concept. Comparable as a Finnish-headquartered casual dining/pizza operator, though more single-concept focused.

Direct peers

• Hesburger: Hesburger is Finland's largest domestic fast-food chain, operating hundreds of burger restaurants across Finland and the Baltics. Directly comparable to Restel's Burger King operations as a Finnish-headquartered QSR competitor.
• McDonald's Finland (Suomen McDonald's Oy): McDonald's Finland operates McDonald's restaurants across Finland under a master franchise, directly competing with Restel's Burger King and other QSR brands for the same Finnish fast-food consumer.
• NoHo Partners: NoHo Partners is a publicly listed Finnish multi-brand restaurant group operating hundreds of restaurants across Finland, including casual dining, pubs, and entertainment venues - directly comparable to Restel in scale, geography, and multi-concept operating model.
• AmRest Holdings: AmRest is a major European multi-brand restaurant operator running KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and Burger King franchises across Central and Eastern Europe. Comparable as a multi-brand franchise operator with similar QSR-leaning footprint to Restel.

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo: Sodexo is a global food services and facilities management company with significant operations across Europe. Comparable to Restel in event catering and on-site venue F&B, though Sodexo operates at vastly greater international scale.
• Gategroup: Gategroup is a global airline catering and hospitality services provider. Comparable to Restel's Food&Events catering division in large-venue and event food service, though focused on aviation hospitality globally.
• SSP Group: SSP Group operates restaurants, cafés, and bars in travel locations (airports, train stations, motorways) worldwide. Comparable to Restel in the rest-stop and travel-dining segment, including overlap with the new Huili gas station concept.
• Compass Group: Compass Group is the world's largest contract foodservice company, operating across B2B catering, workplace dining, and venues globally. Comparable to Restel's Food&Events event-venue and corporate catering business at much larger global scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/resteloy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/restel-oy
• Instagraminstagram.com/restel

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Restel Oy