Fursetgruppen

What Fursetgruppen does

Fursetgruppen AS is a privately held Norwegian hospitality and restaurant group founded in 1997 by chef Bjørn Tore Furset and headquartered at Grev Wedels Plass 2, Oslo. The company operates approximately 30 restaurants, corporate canteens, catering services, and event venues concentrated in Greater Oslo, with a first geographic extension to Fredrikstad via the Kasernen Hotel in January 2025. The portfolio spans three-Michelin-starred fine dining (Maaemo), heritage venues (Grand Café, Ekebergrestauranten), seafood specialists (Sjømagasinet, Havsmak, Lofoten Fiskerestaurant), casual concepts (Trattoria Crudo, Sabaki, Carls), and event spaces (Gamle Logen, Dyna Fyr, Høymagasinet, MEET Ullevaal).

Revenue is generated through four parallel streams: dine-in restaurant transactions, customized catering for events of 30 to 3,000 guests, recurring corporate canteen contracts under the Furset Kantine brand, and event venue rentals. Pricing varies by concept, with menu experiences ranging from approximately 545 NOK wine-tasting tickets to 2,495 NOK premium pairing dinners, alongside a group-wide digital gift card accepted at over 20 venues.

The group employs more than 700 staff (chefs, servers, maître d's, and administration), supported by a senior leadership team including CEO Gjøran Sæther, CFO Heidi Stemmen, CMO Lene Lindgren, CTO Line Akerlind, and HR Director Trine Sønsteby. Distribution is direct-to-consumer for restaurants and direct-to-enterprise for catering, canteen, and event contracts. Technology infrastructure consists of standard hospitality tooling — the GastroPlanner booking portal, an Oculos-powered email/SMS newsletter platform, and a Squarespace web stack — with no disclosed proprietary platform, AI/ML capabilities, or external funding. Founder Bjørn Tore Furset retains full ownership with no institutional investors or parent company.

Name

Fursetgruppen

Legal name

Fursetgruppen AS

Website

https://fursetgruppen.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Fursetgruppen is a privately held Norwegian hospitality group founded in 1997 by chef Bjørn Tore Furset, operating approximately 30 restaurants, corporate canteens, catering services, and event venues across Greater Oslo and Fredrikstad, employing over 700 staff and serving both individual diners and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant and Hospitality Services

NAICS

Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Food Service Contractors (72231), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Brasseries, Bistros & Trattorias (THAFACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Party Venue Sourcing & Booking Services (HSACACAL)

Keywords

• Restaurant operations
• Corporate catering services
• Event venue management
• Fine dining hospitality
• Workplace canteen services

Headquarters

HQ city

OSLO

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Restaurant dining: Revenue from food and beverage sales across approximately 30 restaurants in the Oslo area, including Grand Café, Ekebergrestauranten, Festningen Restaurant, Lofoten Fiskerestaurant, and others.
2. Catering services: Customized catering for events and gatherings, from 30 to 3,000 persons, delivering restaurant-quality food for corporate and private events.
3. Corporate canteens (Kantiner): Meal services for office buildings and corporate clients in the Oslo area, branded as Furset Kantine.
4. Event venues and selskapslokaler: Revenue from renting event spaces for conferences, weddings, corporate parties, and celebrations at venues including Gamle Logen, Dyna Fyr, Høymagasinet, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fursetgruppen is a Norwegian restaurant and hospitality group that operates approximately 30 restaurants, corporate canteens, catering services, and event venues in the Greater Oslo area. Founded in 1997 by chef Bjørn Tore Furset, the company offers fine dining, casual dining, seafood, Italian, Asian-inspired, and café concepts, alongside Furset Kantine (corporate meal services), Furset Catering (events of 30–3,000 guests), and Furset Events (venue bookings). It also sells digital gift cards redeemable across more than 20 of its venues.

Product overview

Fursetgruppen is a leading Norwegian restaurant and hospitality group operating approximately 30 restaurants, corporate canteens, catering services, and event venues across greater Oslo. Founded in 1997 by chef Bjørn Tore Furset, the company employs over 700 staff. The portfolio includes fine dining establishments (Maaemo, Festningen Restaurant), historic restaurants (Grand Café, Ekebergrestauranten), seafood specialists (Sjømagasinet, Havsmak, Lofoten Fiskerestaurant), casual dining (Trattoria Crudo, Sabaki, Carls), and café concepts (Vanité, Din Deli). Beyond restaurants, the group operates Furset Kantine for corporate meal services, Furset Catering for events of 30-3,000 guests, and Furset Events managing conference and event venues (Dyna Fyr, Gamle Logen, Høymagasinet, MEET Ullevaal). Gift cards are available for use at over 20 locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Furset Kantine: Corporate canteen services for office buildings and companies in Greater Oslo, delivering restaurant-quality meals.
• Furset Catering
• Furset Events

Products and services

• Grand Café Historic Oslo landmark restaurant on Karl Johan gate, operating since 1874, offering traditional Norwegian cuisine in a classical ambiance for individual diners.
• Festningen Restaurant

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving thousands of guests annually across all venues

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Spenn (Norwegian & Strawberry)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2025Fursetgruppen partners with Spenn, the digital loyalty currency established by Norwegian and Strawberry. Under the 'Restaurant of the Month' program, guests earn Spenn points when dining at participating Fursetgruppen restaurants. Ekebergrestauranten was the first partner restaurant in May 2025, offering bonus Spenn earnings and complimentary desserts.
• Fondberg Beverage GroupcoreOthersFondberg is a key partner for wine procurement and event collaboration. They represent numerous international wine producers at Fursetgruppen's wine events including Vive la France and Forza Italia wine fairs, and provide wines for Winemakers Dinners across the portfolio.
• SOS-barnebyerminorOthersCharitable partnership where Fursetgruppen participates in the 'Plass til en til' initiative, allowing guests to contribute via QR codes on menus and bills to support children and families in vulnerable situations.
• Moestue GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoestue Group is the co-organizer of Vinhøsten 2025, a major food and wine festival. The partnership combines Moestue's wine producer relationships with Fursetgruppen's culinary expertise for a collaborative tasting event featuring over 30 stands.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Noma: Copenhagen-based three-Michelin-star Nordic fine dining restaurant led by René Redzepi. Closest peer in the Nordic fine-dining culinary space to Fursetgruppen's Maaemo concept, sharing premium Nordic gastronomy positioning.

Direct peers

• Sodexo: Global food services and facilities management company with significant corporate canteen and contract catering operations. Directly comparable to Fursetgruppen's Furset Kantine corporate meal services and large-scale catering offering.
• SSP Group: UK-based operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations including airports and train stations with significant restaurant and café brands. Comparable mix of proprietary and partnered restaurant concepts under one operator.
• ISS A/S: Danish-headquartered facility services company with a major food services division serving workplaces and institutions. Comparable Nordic operating environment and contracted corporate meal service model to Furset Kantine.
• Compass Group: World's largest contract food service and support services provider with operations across corporate, hospitality, and event catering. Comparable business model and target customer overlap with Fursetgruppen's contract catering and canteen segments.
• Elior Group: International contract catering and food services operator serving corporate, education, healthcare, and event clients. Overlap with Fursetgruppen's event catering (30–3,000 guests) and corporate canteen offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Darden Restaurants: Large multi-brand US full-service restaurant operator (Olive Garden, LongHorn, Capital Grille, etc.). Comparable multi-concept full-service restaurant portfolio strategy, though at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Brinker International: Multi-concept casual dining restaurant operator (Chili's, Maggiano's) with broad geographic reach. Similar multi-brand restaurant group model though broader and lower-priced than Fursetgruppen's premium positioning.
• Scandic Hotels: Largest Nordic hotel operator with multiple food and beverage venues across Scandinavia. Comparable Nordic hospitality footprint with restaurant operations, and an indicator of Fursetgruppen's 2025 entry into hotels via Kasernen Fredrikstad.

Others

• Gate Gourmet: Global airline catering and hospitality services company. Adjacent to Fursetgruppen's large-scale event catering capability (up to 3,000 guests) but focused on airline/in-flight service rather than sit-down restaurants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fursetgruppen-restaurant-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Fursetgruppen