EGONMAGA Z I NE One of No r way ’s l arg es t an d mo st exp e r ie n ce d r e s t a u ra n t g ro u p s l o o k s o u t s i d e S ca n d in av i a
Egon Re sta u ra nt
www.egon.no www.egon.se www.egonrestaurant.uk Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @egon_restauranter
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EGON MAGAZINE
CONTENTS 4
Biography
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//Dan Robert Halshamn 5
Founders and Leadership
//Spec 17
//Norrein Group 7
Egon Menu
Egon International Arena
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Restaurants
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Restaurants //Interior
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Around the World //The Journey
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//Locations 14
Landlords and Staff //Testimonials
//MAPIC 12
The Team //Staff
//Produce 10
Restaurants
UK Expansion //Why London?
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Contact //Dan Robert Halshamn
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BIOGRAPHY
DAN ROBERT HALSHAMN General Manager of Operations, Egon Restaurants and The Norrein Group, Hotel and Restaurant administration
Dan Robert was born in Trondheim, Norway and raised “within the hospitality of the Egon family”, a company within The Norrein Group, co-founded by his father Roger Halshamn. From the age of 14 he worked part-time in the group’s hotels and restaurants. He then served for several years as an officer in the Royal Norwegian Airforce and received an MBA degree,
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before starting full-time working for Egon Restaurants and The Norrein Group from 2004. He now manages almost 50 companies within The Norrein Group’s portfolio of hotels and restaurants, which are all market leaders, with over 1500 employees and an annual revenue of €170 million.
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FOUNDERS AND LEADERSHIP
THE NORREIN GROUP Egon restaurants, an all-day casual dining concept, is part of The Norrein Group.
The Norrein Group was founded by three Norwegians Roger Halshamn, Olav Fallan and Gerhard Nordberg.
Almost 6 million guests visit the restaurants a year with a total annual revenue of €170 million.
The first Egon restaurant opened in 1984 in Oslo. There are now currently 46 Egon restaurants– 43 in Norway and 3 in Sweden.
All restaurants are privately owned by The Norrein Group and there are no franchise restaurants in existence.
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EGON MENU
PRODUCE Do we really know where the food we eat is actually coming from? Do we consider these questions when we go to a restaurant, or do we just count on everything being in order?
You can count on one thing when eating at Egon, and that is that the produce is of the highest quality and that we cook it properly. We listen to our guests and take them seriously. The Egon menu is large and extensive. We have dishes and drinks in many categories and sizes. This is one of our success factors, and we have a good selection for even the pickiest customer. In the battle over customers, we are mainly competing with niche restaurants that are good in their respective fields. Hamburger restaurants cooking burgers, pizzerias serving pizza, Italian bistros are good at pasta, meat places at beef, and Asian restaurants are serving their culinary specialties. At Egon we have all this and more. This means that we have a selection that stretches far beyond what others have, which in turn means that if several people are going out to eat, we are able to cater each and every one of them. But this is also demanding. It takes knowledge in the employees and very good organisation in the kitchen to master a vast menu like ours, and at the same time deliver food quality that is as good or better than the specialists. This is something we continuously work with every day across all Egon restaurants. We live off happy guests and good guest experiences. This means that we need to deliver top quality food, irrespective of whether the guest is eating beef, red curry
chicken, pasta or a hamburger. The guests today expect – and should expect – top-notch food and top-notch service when they go out to eat. So which are the factors at play behind delivering good food with such a vast menu and the enormous pressure on the Egon kitchen? Naturally, this starts with the kitchen staff. The chef with their team. Without professionals and cooks with pride in their work the results will never be 100% regardless of how good the produce one uses. At Egon, we have hardworking, proud chefs deliver fantastic food experiences to our guests. It’s about caring about the details. The produce is indeed also of great importance. We are very careful when choosing producers, produce and suppliers. We have made a conscious choice regarding these things at Egon. All of the main categories of produce have produce produced in Norway of Norwegian produce. Meat, fish, chicken and vegetables when they are in season. This means that all the meat we have at Egon has Norwegian origin. We at Egon, a national player with restaurants in large parts of the country, define local food like this: food and products made from local produce, produced by good and serious Norwegian producers from different parts of Norway.
Apart from the raw material itself, a big part of the Egon identity lies in the flavours. This is defined by the fact that we cook everything from soup, dressing and sauces in every single restaurant. We are proud to have talented chefs that every day prepare and produce Egon’s own products. This means that guests can go into any Egon and experience these exact flavours, and this contributes to giving the speciality tasting experience. In the menu process, which we are currently undertaking, our primary goal is to develop and renew our international categories such as Asian, Italian and steaks. Our diversity is, as mentioned, one of our strengths. At the same time, it is fun to be able to cook food from different food cultures and different parts of the world with top-quality produce from Norwegian producers. We are dedicated to providing our guests with good experiences with us, and we work every day for Egon to be the best in guest experience. This means that we also need to be dedicated to what people like, want and value. We live off satisfied guests and we are therefore dedicated to having a menu that at any one time offers food and drinks that people like and request. We never forget who we are here for – our customers.
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EGON INTERNATIONAL ARENA
MAPIC Egon is being noticed abroaad. This is very exciting and has led to many great opportunities.
Dan Robert Halshamn, Chief Operations Officer in the Norrein Group/Egon Restaurants was, in the autumn 2017, asked if he would be willing to participate in a panel discussion at the annual MAPIC conference in Cannes, France. Since 1995, the international MAPIC conference has been arranged in Cannes, where international landlord, investors, property and shopping centre developers, owners and managers within a range of different industries meet up and network. The main theme for the 2017 conference, which took place 15-16 November, was the development of restaurants in the different retail arenas, cities and shopping centres. 8,400 participants from 80 countries took part. The organisers behind the conference wanted information about the Nordic restaurant development, how this has developed in the last few years and how it will develop
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in the future. They wanted to know if other international players could learn from the Nordic countries. Thanks to the positive development that Egon has had several years in a row, Egon was the only Nordic restaurant group that was asked to share their experiences and thoughts about the future. The argument by the organisers was that Egon has excellent insights in both the Norwegian and the Swedish market, when it comes to competitors, landlords and suppliers. But – and this is important – Egon also has vast international knowledge, for example when it comes to restaurant development in London, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Tokyo, Hong Kong to name a few. Other speakers invited to speak about the Nordic restaurant market were acknowledged consultants, property developers, architects and urban planners.
For us at Egon, this is a major accomplishment and we think everyone who works with Egon should be proud of it. Not only the positive development in turnover and number of restaurants the last few years, but also how all employees, managers and administrative staff the last few years have been part of taking the development of the Egon concept, both in terms of menu and design of new restaurants, to a whole new level. Egon has developed at a fast pace in the last decade and has continuously adapted to changing demands in the market. “Eating is the new shopping” – an expression that fits Egon and its development brilliantly. Our goal is to be the best in guest experience, and we want Egon to be an “all day casual dining concept” that continues to stay strong in the years to come.
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RESTAURANTS
LOCATIONS There are now 43 Egon Restaurants in Norway and 3 Egon Restaurants in Sweden with six million guests per year. Egon will be starting to accept invitations from landlords in other Swedish cities larger than 100.000/150.000 inhabitants and more. The first Egon in Norway opened in 1984 in Oslo and the first Egon in Sweden opened in 2015 in Mall of Scandinavia together with Unibail-Rodamco. Mall of Scandinavia is a wonderful shopping mall located on the outskirts of Stockholm Solna municipality. It was here that Egon chose to open Sweden’s very first Egon restaurant in 2015 with Unibail-Rodamco.
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The span on yearly revenue per restaurant is from €2,5 million to €12 million, with an average of about €4,5 million per year per restaurant. However, there is a careful strategy of not opening too many restaurants at a time to be able to maintain focus and quality in the existing restaurants. With the demonstrated success in Norway and Sweden, Egon now has a further international expansion strategy which begins with the UK and London.
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THE IMPORTANT ATMOSPHERE
INTERIOR EGON has a unique atmosphere in its restaurants. Combining vintage and rustic with a touch of modern gives the guests a homely and warm feeling. The restaurants are also decorated after their location. The pictures on the walls are all black and white photos from the old days in that area. They are always a good conversation starter. A lot of the decor represents what has happened her before. In EGON Uppsala there is plenty of bicycles hanging in the ceiling. At the bar even the barstools have pedals. This is to reflect that Uppsala has been, and still are, a city with a lot of bicycle history.
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Uppsala is a huge student city as well and all the books in the restaurant is a reference to the University and the students. This is just some examples of many decor details that we know make the guests interested, is a conversation starter or make the guests feel even more at home. Since EGON’s slogan is “Where everyone feels at home” EGON’s mission is to reflect that in the interior and atmosphere.
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Egon Re sta u ra nt
REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION Electricity capacity Ventilation
ca 4400 l/s
Grease trap
Required
Black plate
Required
Water & Sewage 16
ca 350 - 450 A
10 - 15 floor drains, 40 x 40 cm.
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THE TEAM
1500
Today Egon has around 1500 employees, most of them between the age of 22-25.
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Approximately 200 of these are managers and middle managers, with an average age of 28-34.
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The turnover of employees at manager and middle management level is 8 years.
85%
In an employee survey from January 2018, almost 85% of Egon employees said that they would recommend others to work at Egon.
92%
92% said that they believe in the concept and are willing to make an extra effort to see their Egon succeed.
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LANDLORDS AND STAFF
TESTIMONIALS “Egon is a highly professional, forward-thinking and solution oriented partner with the ability to adapt to new trends as well as customers needs and preferences. Their products and prices are competitive, and the quality of their food and service is of a high standard. Egon ensures that all kinds of customers enjoy their time in their restaurants.” Kathrine Tilrem, Leasing Director, Citycon (owner of 43 shopping centres and 12 managed/rented shopping centres)
“We were proud to have the first Egon restaurant in Sweden in our Dining Experience in Mall of Scandinavia. Egon contributes and drives the Dining Experience in Mall of Scandinavia with their unique atmosphere, delicious food and drinks for the whole family and excellent service.” Lars Ake Tollemark, Unibail-Rodamco (owner of 67 shopping centres in Europe plus offices and convention centres)
“In Norway Egon has become a well-known restaurant concept which provides a common image that people can relate to. Either you are going to eat with your family and friends in social contexts or in for business. Egon offers both classics and more exciting dishes, making the concept popular for many customers groups.” Olav Thon Group (owner of 110 shopping centres and 500 commercial properties in Norway)
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“I have worked with some excellent produce in my career as a chef, but never with so much locally produced produce. I’ve stayed at Egon for so long because the working environment is fantastic, and the opportunities are very good.” Fredrik Torvik, Chef
“Egon was my first step into the restaurant world, and I’ve stayed on because I keep getting new opportunities. I feel like I’m growing together with Egon. I see Egon as a secure employer that invest time and money to train every member of staff.” Andreas Fallmyr, Chef
“I joined Egon because it is a stable and reliable employer. I had heard many positive things. The working environment is great – we have so much fun at work.” Gunnar Sigurdarsson, Waiter
“What I love most about Egon is that the working environment is great we all feel like we’re at home when we’re at work.” Catrine Kørning Vangestad, Waitress
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AROUND THE WORLD
THE JOURNEY The Egon name and brand has been in existence since 1984 when the first restaurant, Egon Nordstrand, opened in Oslo.
Egon then began its journey as a restaurant chain in 1987 when Egon Søndre in Trondheim was unveiled. Since then the restaurant has flourished In other words, the Egon family is filled to the brim with experience and history. While it is of essence to stay true to the original concept, it’s equally important to develop Egon into the best version of itself at every point in time.
These elements can be to do with the staff uniforms, serving, glass, stoneware china, presentation, menu profile et cetera.
Concept trip to London In order to keep up with what is happening in the food and beverage market, Egon goes overseas every year for an annual trend and concept trip. We have visited a number of places including San Francisco, Miami, New York, Chicago, Honolulu, Barcelona, San Sebastian, Milan, Rome, Hong Kong, Tokyo.
Egon has made many trips to London. As most people know, London is the epicentre that brings together cuisines from all over the world, and the perfect place to get a benchmark for development in the industry.
At Egon, a new menu is introduced at the beginning of June every year. Some dishes are improved and some leave the menu completely while others enter it. This date is also the day when new elements are announced as part of the Egon concept.
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As a pre-cursor to all of this, we go around the world to collect inspiration, insight and, last but not least to see what is happening in terms of trends and new restaurant concepts.
Over 40 restaurants, hotels, shopping centres and bars were visited over the course of four days. Food, menus, interiors, shop fronts, profile and design were all carefully studied and over 500 pictures got to come back to Norway in order to create the foundation for next year’s menu, but also ideas for interior details for Egon.
It is challenging to pinpoint one specific trend as the food and beverage offerings are so varied and diverse. One observation new large hotels with many good bars and restaurants are popping up under the term day-clubbing/after work. You simply take nightlife visitors during the day/early evening instead of at night. The trend of people preferring to go out during the day/ early evening instead of at night also has a positive effect on restaurant visits. In terms of food trends, we can see that Italian food is extremely popular. At the same time, we recognise the rising popularity of Street Food, especially when it comes to organised food markets. Asian and South American is even more on the radar than before. Fusion between the Asian and European, or South America mixed with Europe, are up and coming.
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UK EXPANSION
WHY LONDON? Egon are planning to open 1-2 restaurants in London within a few years.
One of the main reasons for opening in London is because it is one of the most dynamic and competitive restaurant markets in the world. Egon have made significant investments in understanding the UK market and the consumer trends that underpin it to deliver a first-class food and dining offer in the UK.
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Going forward further investment in UK cities would also be a focus. Egon is looking for opportunities to transfer the success of its all-day casual dining concept to the UK and is seeking a new and appealing location to launch the brand in, or near to, London.
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CONTACT
DAN ROBERT HALSHAMN Address Stortingsgaten 12 0161 Oslo Norway Mobile: +47 930 89 405 E-mail: dan@norrein.no Web: egon.no Web: norrein.no Web: egonrestaurant.uk
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