Ilpo Kantola, operational manager of Tampere Arena’s restaurant services, wished for a play-off in the third final.
follows the SM league finals moment by moment on its website. The Hockey Tour broadcasts every league final live. All finals will be heard live at Areena, the third final also on Radio Suomen’s soundwaves. The preliminary studios of the ice hockey round can be enjoyed in video form for the first time in the finals.
TAMPERE. The corridors of the Tampere arena are buzzing. Considerable amounts of food and drink are consumed when 12,313 spectators of the SM league final crave new stimuli for their taste buds.
Compared to many other arenas, there are many different food options in Tampere in addition to traditional steamed sausages. Initially, steamed sausages were not offered, but at the request of customers, it was decided to add them to the list.
Manager of Tampere Arena’s restaurant services Ilpo Kantola aware that Areena has a much wider selection than many other Finnish sporting events.
– You can experiment here, and there are sure to be favorites for a wide variety of customers. However, the most traditional ice rink dishes still hold their ground, says Kantola.
The arena has the most burger places, so burgers are naturally the best-selling food products. Sausage fries are also sold very well, and popcorn is still a hit.
Of course, wings are also sold in the arena, Tampere has even been described as the wing capital of Finland.
– A full game takes 2,500-3,000 wings, Kantola estimates.
According to Kantola, the sale of products is very much based on forecasting and calculations. The most significant of the differences is the day of the week. On Fridays, sales are much more focused on drinks, while food, lemonade and coffee are consumed a little more on weekdays.
– On Saturdays, more food is also consumed than in weekday games.
On weekends, considerable amounts of beer and liquor are consumed.
– If not everyone takes one, then almost, Kantola formulates.
So 12,000 times one mug?
– Let’s get close.
Although the Tampere arena offers everything new and exciting, no newer hit products have emerged over the years.
– Nobody beats traditional wings, burgers and pizza. Such a product has not been invented, says Kantola.
In Tampere Areena, the framework is in order, but visually, the congestion in the narrow corridors may sometimes slow down the movement of people and thus sales.
Kantola admits that it was more challenging in the early years of the arena, when customers wanted to tour and see a lot of the new arena. Most of the spectators of this spring’s finals have already been to the arena before.
– They know where they sit and which services are closest. In a way, that kind of unnecessary detour is eliminated, and things have gone much smoother over the course of two years.
Kantola assures during the interview that there will be enough food even for the players in possible overtimes, if the evening drags on for a long time.
– It’s always a crazy place, whether we go to the extra round. This way, from the restaurateur’s point of view, we always hope for continued batches, so we get one more batch break.
Kantola’s wish will come true, as the decision of the third final between Tappara and Pelicans stretches all the way to the second overtime. Thus, the restaurateur got no less than two extra batch breaks.