Member portrait: Park Café in Sandnes
A small outlet with a lot of soul!
There are many good things to find on the menu at Parkkaféen!
In a park just outside Sandnes lies a small, purple house. If you are lucky enough to come here during opening hours, you must hurry and follow the scent of freshly baked buns.
- Because the buns fly away when Lena Grimsrud opens the serving hatch for hungry park tourists.
The small café was originally built in the 1980s as a toilet facility for the park. Today, Lena rents the special booth from the municipality. Together with her skilled team, she has created a very special place for the people of Sandnes.
The side project that became a business
Lena herself was raised in Sandnes and has been to Sandvedparken a lot growing up. She is actually a trained occupational therapist, but nine years ago she had an idea, and she wanted to give something back to the local community she loves so much. When she got permission to do something in the building in the park, she jumped at the chance:
– I didn't know much else besides bun baking, but I started this as a part-time project. When the corona era started, we thought we would have to give up, but it turned out to be the exact opposite: Since we served under controlled conditions to customers outdoors, people found a sanctuary with us out here in a special time.
During these two years, we suddenly got very busy: We hired a chef and expanded to a full menu from 2021. Now the operation has become a full-time project.
Lena and the staff bake many portions of yeast-raised pastries throughout the day, in the small space. The freshly baked buns are eternally popular.
– We thought it might be monotonous with buns at first, but this has really worked, says Lena.
Varied menu and our own chicken broth
But it's not just about the bowl anymore. Parkkaféen offers a varied selection of homemade food – from soups cooked on kraft made from scratch, to pasta salads and sourdough bread. They take pride in only using clean, good ingredients. – It is important to us that the food we serve has a real taste and smell, and that it is an experience to come here, says Lena. At Parkkaféen you are served a very good and popular coffee, from a great barista machine. Here it is important to Lena that the guests are served quality.
– Of course we could have chosen to do it differently, but this is what's fun: Being able to offer customers something completely unique and honest!
In addition to the café operation, Parkkaféen offers catering, including tapas and comfort food packages. Everything on the menu can actually be ordered as catering – individually packaged or on a platter. The café has gradually established a solid customer base in this area as well. Orders from companies help keep operations stable year-round, even in the low season when the café is open from Thursday to Sunday.
Long queues for fresh buns
When the sun shines in Sandnes on weekends, people can easily stand in line for up to an hour to get a bite to eat in green surroundings. – I sometimes have to pinch myself at how great our customers are. Many are loyal and come back again and again. We appreciate that immensely, says Lena.
– This is such an incredibly cool place to work, and with a fantastic group of talented colleagues. We notice that the pressure has gradually increased, but we try to operate as safely as we can with what we have and take care of each other. Over time, we have built up a good experience, and we are good at seeing solutions. The fantastic staff does their utmost to make sure everything runs smoothly, says the driver.
Local helpers
– We have had close collaboration with D. Danielsen and Systemkjøp right from the start, says Lena. – We are very happy with that.
My regional contact at Systemkjøp , Lise, follows us up closely. She helps us with everything from reviewing sales and prices to finding the right equipment we need. It works very well for us. The sales bonus also comes in very handy. Then we often set aside a little to make upgrades in the cafe. We really appreciate the cooperation and the help we get.
– We also want to be flexible, and are also very keen to use local partners and suppliers, – with people who have the same passion for food as us.
Rewarding serving
The operation requires careful planning. To meet the rush on weekends, it is important to have enough staff and good routines in place. For Lena, it also means something very special to be able to run a café in a park that means so much to her personally. Lena and her staff want to be part of the community here and contribute to ensuring that Sandvedparken remains a vibrant and pleasant place for everyone.
And the heart for serving is with them all the time:
– When we open the hatch and are ready to serve. That's what's fun!