Eik&Friends

What Eik&Friends does

Eik&Friends, operating legally as Friends Hospitality Group AS (org. nr. 920 635 490), is a privately held Norwegian hospitality group headquartered at Storgata 37A, Oslo. The company owns and operates a portfolio of 35-38 restaurant, bar, cafe, event-venue, and cultural-arena brands across Norway, concentrated primarily in Oslo with a secondary presence in Bergen. Brand identities are diverse by design, spanning casual neighborhood bars (Alf, Sentralpuben), French bistros (Brasserie Ouest), Italian (Rugantino, Vineria Ventidue), ramen (Hrimnir), omakase (Lulu Omakase), bakeries (Handwerk Botaniske, Brød & Sirkus), rooftop terraces (Mynt Takterrasse, TAKET Steen&Strøm), and cultural venues (Tårnet Kulturarena). Each venue operates under its own brand and website.

The business runs on a direct-to-consumer model with multiple revenue streams layered on top of the venue base: core food and beverage sales (walk-in and table reservations), corporate and private event hosting (selskapslokaler, julebord), off-premise catering, gift card sales (starting at 200 NOK), and a membership loyalty program called Friends & Benefits that issues a 200 NOK gift card on registration and accrues bonus points. The technology stack is intentionally thin and outsourced: table reservations run via Dinnerbooking, with Gastroplanner, Superb Experience, and Resdiary also referenced as data processors; the corporate site is built on Squarespace. No proprietary software, mobile app, or AI/ML capability is disclosed. The group also formalized a governance framework including a Code of Conduct adopted by the Board on 19.10.2023, supplier code of conduct, whistleblower and anti-harassment policies, and compliance with the Norwegian Transparency Act of 2022.

The customer base is bifurcated between private individuals (the primary segment, consuming across all casual and fine-dining venues) and corporate/business clients (secondary, consuming event venues, catering, and Christmas-party bookings). Marketing is conducted through owned social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), the corporate website, email newsletters, and the loyalty program; no paid acquisition, enterprise sales motion, or named B2B logos are disclosed. The company reports 49 employees, which appears inconsistent with operating 35+ venues and likely reflects HQ/corporate staff only.

Name

Eik&Friends

Legal name

Friends Hospitality Group AS

Website

https://eikandfriends.no

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eik&Friends (Friends Hospitality Group AS) owns and operates 35-38 restaurant, bar, cafe, and event-venue brands across Norway, primarily Oslo and Bergen. It serves private diners and corporate clients via walk-in dining, reservations, catering, event hosting, gift cards, and a cross-brand loyalty program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-brand restaurant and hospitality services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Food Services and Drinking Places (722)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)

Keywords

• Multi-brand restaurant operations
• Hospitality venue management
• Corporate event catering
• Private dining venues
• Restaurant loyalty programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Core revenue from operating owned restaurants, bars, and cafes across Norway, serving private dining, casual dining, and specialty cuisine segments.
2. Private Event Hosting: Revenue from hosting corporate events, celebrations, and private gatherings at their venue spaces including selskapslokaler (event venues) and party spaces.
3. Catering Services: Corporate and private catering services for off-site events and functions.
4. Gift Cards and Loyalty: Gift card sales through their online store and Friends & Benefits loyalty program membership, which offers bonus points and promotional offers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Eik&Friends (Friends Hospitality Group AS) owns and operates a portfolio of 35+ restaurants, bars, cafes, and event venues across Norway. The company runs individual dining concepts ranging from casual cafes and neighborhood bars to specialty restaurants (French bistro, Italian, ramen, omakase) and cultural venues, and additionally provides catering, private event venue hire, gift card sales, and a Friends & Benefits membership loyalty program.

Product overview

Eik&Friends (Friends Hospitality Group AS) is a Norwegian hospitality company that owns and operates a portfolio of 38 restaurants, bars, cafes, and venues across Norway. The company operates as a multi-brand hospitality group with diverse dining concepts including neighborhood bars (Alf), French bistros (Brasserie Ouest), ramen shops (Hrimnir), omakase dining (Lulu Omakase), and cultural venues. The portfolio also includes event spaces for corporate and private events, catering services, a loyalty program (Friends & Benefits), and gift cards. The company operates venues in Oslo and Bergen, with concepts ranging from casual cafes to fine dining restaurants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Friends&Benefits: Membership club offering gift cards and bonus points to members

Products and services

• Multi-brand Restaurant and Venue Operations Operates 35+ owned restaurants, bars, cafes, and venues across Norway under multiple brand names, serving private diners and corporate clients in Oslo and Bergen with concepts ranging from casual cafes to fine dining, neighborhood bars, French bistros, Italian restaurants, ramen shops, omakase, cultural arenas, and rooftop terraces.
• Catering Services Catering services for off-site corporate and private events and functions, delivered by the hospitality group's brands.
• Event Venue Hire (Selskapslokaler) Private event spaces and party venues (selskapslokaler) available for booking across the group's venue brands, covering corporate events, celebrations, Christmas parties (julebord), seminars, and company gatherings.
• Friends & Benefits Loyalty Program Membership loyalty program that issues a 200 NOK gift card to new members on registration and provides bonus points on purchases plus exclusive promotional offers usable across the group's venues.
• Gift Cards (Gavekort) Digital gift cards and vouchers sold via the group's online store, usable at participating restaurants and venues across the portfolio.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo: Global food services and facilities management company with significant Nordic exposure. Comparable to Eik&Friends on corporate catering, event hospitality and multi-site F&B operations, but is much broader in scope (vending, FM, benefits).
• ISS A/S: Danish-listed global facility services provider with food services as a major line, including Nordic corporate dining and event catering. Comparable to Eik&Friends on the B2B hospitality, catering and Nordic multi-site F&B side, though ISS is fundamentally a facility services company.
• HMSHost (Avolta): Large airport and travel-hub food & beverage operator (part of Avolta). Comparable to Eik&Friends as a multi-brand F&B operator running many venue brands under one platform, though HMSHost is concentrated in travel-retail and concessions rather than city dining.
• Compass Group: Global contract food services and hospitality major. Comparable to Eik&Friends on the B2B catering and large-scale F&B operations side, though Compass focuses on contract feeding (workplaces, institutions) rather than consumer-facing bars and restaurants.
• Restaurant Brands Nordic: Listed Nordic multi-brand restaurant operator (Burger King, Popeyes, etc.). Comparable to Eik&Friends as a multi-brand restaurant roll-up in the Nordic region, but operates franchised QSR chains rather than independent full-service and bar concepts.

Direct peers

• Egon Restauranter: Norwegian casual full-service restaurant chain operating multiple locations nationwide. Comparable to Eik&Friends on the casual, table-service dining side and on multi-venue Norway footprint, though more standardized and less concept-diverse.
• Fursetgruppen: Oslo-based multi-concept hospitality group operating a portfolio of restaurants and event venues in Norway. Closest comparable to Eik&Friends in structure: multiple independently branded venues under one operator, with focus on dining and corporate/private events in Oslo.

Regional players

• Esperante Group: Swedish family-owned hospitality group operating multiple restaurant and venue concepts in the Nordics. Comparable to Eik&Friends in multi-brand structure and focus on restaurants + event venues, but anchored in Sweden rather than Norway.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/eikandfriends
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eikandfriendsas
• Instagraminstagram.com/eikandfriends

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries37 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 Eik&Friends