Tampere library café contract goes to international chain

Tampere’s main library café, Cafe Metso, will be replaced by international food services company Compass Group Finland after the city awarded it the café operating contract, Yle reports. Cafe Metso’s parent company, Vinedu, lost the competitive tender.

The change has angered many residents. More than 3,000 people had signed a petition supporting the current café by Wednesday afternoon, while the decision has prompted heated discussion on social media.

Cafe Metso has operated at the library for nearly 20 years. Its entrepreneur, Kaisa Kalliolahti, has run the café for eight years and said she was grateful for the public support but shocked by the city’s decision.

“Many thanks for all the support. It shows that we have a strong customer base and that we have done things right,” Kalliolahti said.

Compass Group Finland is part of the British Compass Group, which operates in 25 countries and describes itself as the world’s leading food and support services company. Its brands in Finland include Amica, Market 24/7 and Food and go.

Price determined the outcome. Vinedu offered the city slightly higher rent than Compass Group, but Compass submitted lower prices for café customers and people attending meetings at the library. It therefore won the price comparison.

A third company also took part in the tender but performed worse than the other two on every measure. Compass Group and Vinedu received equal scores for quality.

Kalliolahti questioned how a small local business and a large international corporation could receive exactly the same quality assessment and score. She said the tender had been designed in a way that made it impossible for a small operator to succeed.

“We use a lot of organic and locally produced ingredients, and make things from scratch. Even so, our prices are moderate, and we did not start cutting them,” she said.

Niina Salmenkangas, the library services director who made the procurement decision, said she understood why library and Cafe Metso customers were disappointed.

“The café has also been a very good partner for us, and we have been very happy with it,” Salmenkangas said.

She said the tender criteria were chosen to ensure that the library would continue to have good, high-quality and responsible café services. The city also wanted the new operation to resemble the existing one as much as possible.

Salmenkangas acknowledged that the quality assessed in the tender was, in Compass Group’s case, still only promises on paper. The company’s performance will be seen in everyday operations, and the agreement includes procedures for monitoring quality.

According to Salmenkangas, the operating concession agreement allows the library to set wishes and requirements for the café that could not be imposed through a standard rental agreement.

She defended the use of product prices as a criterion, saying the aim was to keep the selection affordable enough for customers to buy and to encourage them to spend time at the library.

Salmenkangas said both bidders had submitted very strong offers. No factors outside the tender could affect the result, and the café services had to be procured from the winning company.

Mervi Mikkola, Compass Group Finland’s sales director, said she understood the discussion sparked by the decision. “The current café has had a strong position in the everyday lives and hearts of Tampere residents. That tells us, of course, that it is a very important place for the city’s residents,” she said.