Articles
FIKA
In September 2006, Lars Åkerlund opened up the first FIKA in New York on Lexington Avenue and 58th
Street, just south of Central Park. Lars, who is a trained chef, has a passion for design and decoration,
and it was by renovating and selling houses in Sweden that he could save up for the American dream.
Today, FIKA has 175 employees and runs 17 cafés on Manhattan with big plans on expanding their
business to other cities in the U.S. and abroad.
The purpose of FIKA is to offer a pleasant café with great coffee and a traditional Swedish menu,
where everything is freshly baked in the morning. Lars’ goal is to bring the concept of “fika” into the
American vocabulary. Having a “fika” in the Swedish way is so much more than just coffee; it is an
important moment when you can relax, either on your own or with your loved ones.
How come you have been so successful in New York?
Quality is the key - offering homemade food and sweets is our niche and we offer really good coffee.
FIKA is unique in the United States, because Americans are not accustomed to sitting down and having
a coffee and a cinnamon bun, they are used to buy a coffee on the go. We try to make them aware
that what we offer is healthy and that it is of Swedish touch with high quality. There were no espresso
bars when we opened our first FIKA, but now they open up new espresso bars all the time. The Swedish
coffee culture is also exciting for the Americans and we are working to get it ingrained in American
culture.
Who is the typical FIKA customer?
95% of our customers are Americans and the majority are women. The typical FIKA-customer is a
professional, 22-38 years old, working in business and who appreciate quality. There is also a lot of
Swedes, and they way Swedes behave when they are on vacation is amusing. Even though they
only have a few days in NY, they spend their time and money on having a Swedish “fika”. There is no
country that is as patriotic as the Swedes when they are abroad.
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