The man who eats IKEA food for a living gives us insights on their famous meatballs and more

Summary

Join the Country Food Manager of IKEA Singapore for a kitchen tour at IKEA Alexandria, where a team of 175 aims to deliver delicious, affordable Swedish cuisine daily. Discover the secrets behind the traditional, slightly imperfect meatballs and the innovative defat chicken wings. Experience the self-service model, where customers can indulge in a variety of dishes, including new menu items like the Swedish sausage and creative cinnamon buns. Learn about the importance of matching food presentation to photos and adapting recipes to local tastes while celebrating festive occasions with special dishes.

Takeaways

• 🏢 The video is set in Ikea Alexandria, a Swedish restaurant managed by the country food manager for Ikea Singapore.
• 👩‍🍳 The food manager oversees three stores along with 175 coworkers, aiming to provide good and affordable food to customers daily.
• 🍽️ The kitchen tour begins with a discussion about the traditional Swedish meatball, which should not be perfectly round to maintain authenticity.
• 🍗 The kitchen also prepares chicken wings using a defatting process and has equipment capable of cooking about 100 wings in 5 minutes.
• 🥣 The kitchen uses a B Marine to warm up sauces and other accompaniments for the meals.
• 🍲 State-of-the-art combi ovens are utilized for food preparation, allowing for versatile cooking methods.
• 👥 The serving line is staffed by 2-3 coworkers, with the first coworker acting as a conductor to manage the flow of food and communicate with the kitchen.
• 🛒 Ikea operates on a self-service model where customers use a trolley and are encouraged to impulse buy by grabbing items that appeal to them.
• 📸 The food served must match the presentation shown in the photos, which is part of the staff's responsibility to ensure consistency.
• 🍴 The food manager introduces new dishes developed for the restaurant, including a traditional Swedish sausage and mushroom-based dishes.
• ☕ The video includes a tasting of a coffee-flavored cinnamon bun, indicating a creative approach to traditional Swedish treats.
• 🎉 Ikea celebrates festive occasions with local relevance, adjusting their menu to suit the tastes and preferences of the community.

Q & A

What is the role of the person speaking in the video?

The person speaking is the Country Food Manager for IKEA in Singapore, responsible for managing food operations at three stores: IKEA Alexandra, IKEA Tampines, and IKEA Jurong.

What is the main goal of the team at IKEA's Swedish restaurant?

The main goal of the team is to provide good, affordable, and delicious food to customers every day.

Why are IKEA meatballs not perfectly round?

IKEA meatballs are not perfectly round to maintain the traditional Swedish meatball appearance, which is hand-rolled and not too uniform.

What is the capacity of the chicken wing cooking process mentioned in the script?

The chicken wing cooking process can handle about 100 chicken wings, with a cooking time of approximately 5 minutes.

What is the role of the first coworker in the serving line?

The first coworker in the serving line is responsible for leading and coordinating the team, ensuring there is enough food, and managing the overall service flow.

What is the significance of the coworker's voice in the serving line?

The coworker's voice should be loud enough to communicate effectively with the team and customers, especially when calling out for more food.

What is the self-service model like at IKEA's Swedish restaurant?

IKEA's self-service model involves customers taking a trolley, moving through the queue, and selecting items they find exciting and delicious, promoting impulse buying.

What is the expectation for the food served at IKEA in terms of presentation?

The food served should match the photo exactly, ensuring that what is split and served is similar to the visual representation provided to the customer.

What is the purpose of trying out new dishes like the 'fuk' sausage in the script?

The purpose is to test whether the new dish aligns with traditional Swedish flavors and if it can stand alone or needs complementary sauces.

What is the significance of adapting dishes for local tastes at IKEA's Swedish restaurant?

Adapting dishes for local tastes ensures that the food is more appealing to the local customer base and meets their expectations.

How does IKEA celebrate festive occasions in its Swedish restaurant?

IKEA celebrates festive occasions by offering local relevant dishes, such as the 'nasik kuru' for the Hari Raya celebration, with slight twists each year.

Outlines

00:00

🍽️ Kitchen Tour and Food Preparation at Ikea

In this paragraph, the narrator visits Ikea Alexandria's Swedish restaurant, accompanied by the country food manager of Ikea Singapore. They manage three stores and aim to provide delicious, affordable food with 175 coworkers. The kitchen tour begins with the meatball preparation, emphasizing the traditional Swedish method of hand-rolling for an imperfect shape. The defat chicken wings process and the B Marine, where food is warmed up, are also highlighted. The use of combi ovens for food preparation is mentioned, along with the serving line's role in managing customer flow and food supply. The paragraph concludes with the importance of presentation and the self-service model of Ikea, encouraging customers to grab as much food as they like from overflowing trays.

05:03

🍴 Sampling New Dishes and Festive Celebrations at Ikea

The second paragraph focuses on the process of sampling and evaluating new dishes at Ikea, starting with a traditional Swedish sausage. The narrator discusses the importance of meeting local taste profiles and the need for adjustments based on feedback. A dish featuring mushrooms as a versatile ingredient is mentioned, followed by a description of Swedish cinnamon buns with unique toppings. The narrator also touches on Ikea's commitment to festive occasions, offering local dishes for celebrations like the Hari Raya festival, with a twist to the traditional recipes each year. The paragraph ends with an invitation for the narrator to sample future new menu items and provide feedback, highlighting the enjoyable and interactive nature of the Ikea dining experience.

Keywords

💡Ikea

Ikea is a well-known Swedish furniture and home goods retail company. In the context of the video, it refers to the location where the video takes place and the brand that the food is associated with. The video script mentions 'Ikea Alexandria,' indicating a specific store location, and discusses the food offerings and management within the Ikea brand.

💡Swedish

Swedish refers to the culture, traditions, or products originating from Sweden. In the video, this term is used to describe the traditional food items served at Ikea, such as Swedish meatballs and the fuk sausage, which are meant to reflect the authentic taste and presentation of Swedish cuisine.

💡Food Manager

A Food Manager is responsible for overseeing the operations of a food service establishment, including food preparation, quality control, and staff management. In the script, the person introducing themselves as the 'country food manager for Ikea Singapore' plays a key role in ensuring the quality and affordability of the food served at Ikea stores.

💡Meatball

A meatball is a common food item made from ground meat, often served with sauce. The script highlights the traditional Swedish meatball, emphasizing its hand-rolled nature and slightly irregular shape, which is a nod to its homemade, traditional roots.

💡Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are a popular food item, often served as appetizers or snacks. The script mentions 'defat chicken wings' and describes a machine that can cater to about 100 chicken wings, indicating the scale of food preparation at Ikea.

💡Sauce

Sauce is a liquid or semi-solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. In the video, sauce is mentioned in relation to the meatballs, where the original MBE sauce is offered as a complement to the meatballs, enhancing their flavor.

💡Sausage

A sausage is a type of food typically made from ground meat, often seasoned and stuffed into a casing. The script discusses a 'traditional Swedish sausage' known as 'fuk,' which is evaluated for its taste and authenticity in the Ikea menu.

💡Cinnamon Bun

A cinnamon bun is a sweet roll served worldwide, often associated with Swedish cuisine. The script describes a version of the cinnamon bun with added toppings, making it a fun and unique offering at Ikea, and one that is tried by the person in the video.

💡Festive Occasions

Festive occasions refer to holidays or celebrations. The video mentions Ikea's efforts to celebrate various festivals by offering relevant dishes, such as 'nasik Kuru' for the haraya celebration, showing Ikea's commitment to cultural inclusivity.

💡Self-serve

Self-serve refers to a service model where customers serve themselves, often seen in buffets or cafeterias. The script describes Ikea's self-serve model, where customers take a trolley and choose their food, contributing to the overall dining experience.

💡Conductor

In the context of the video, a conductor is a metaphor for the first coworker in the serving line who leads and coordinates the team, ensuring that the food is served efficiently and that there is enough supply to meet customer demand.

Highlights

Introduction to Ikea Alexandria and the role of the country food manager for Ikea Singapore.

Managing three Ikea stores with a team of 175 coworkers to provide good and affordable food.

Starting the kitchen tour to showcase the operations and food preparation.

The importance of the traditional Swedish meatball shape being slightly irregular, hand-rolled by 'granny'.

The chicken wing preparation process using a machine that can cater to 100 wings in 5 minutes.

Preparation of soup sauces and other packaged items in the kitchen.

Use of combi ovens for food preparation, highlighting their versatility.

Responsibility of the first coworker in the serving line to lead and coordinate the team.

The role of the 'conductor' in managing the serving line and food preparation flow.

The self-service model of Ikea where customers take a trolley and select food from the queue.

Encouraging customers to grab exciting and delicious menu items for impulse buying.

Ensuring that the food served matches the presentation in the photos.

Introduction to new dishes developed, including a traditional Swedish sausage.

Tasting and evaluating the new Swedish sausage for its authenticity and flavor profile.

The versatility of mushrooms used in sauces or as a side condiment.

The creation of a new fried nibble dish, aiming to please customers' taste for snacking.

Introduction to Swedish cinnamon buns with unique toppings for a fun twist.

Tasting the coffee-topped cinnamon bun and its balance of sweetness and bitterness.

Ikea's commitment to celebrating festive occasions with relevant local dishes.

Adapting and adjusting recipes to suit local taste profiles while maintaining authenticity.

Invitation for the viewer to apply for a job at Ikea, showcasing the cool job environment.

Transcripts

[Music]

I'm here today at one of the most

exciting areas of Ikea with my new

friend as hi everyone and welcome me to

come to Ikea Alexandria the Swedish

restaurant I'm the country food manager

for Ika singapur so we manage three

store IA Alexandra IA Tanis and IA

jurong and together with my store food

manager and a total of 175 coworker we

aims to provide a very good food and

very affordable delicious food to the

customer every day so without further

Ado maybe we can just start yes we're

all ready for our kitchen tour let's

[Music]

go the meatball right is not exactly

round shaped oh yeah yeah from our to

the supplier also we says that uh it

needs to be a little bit off shape yeah

reason being traditional Swedish

meatball is actually hand roll hand roll

hand by old granny usually so can look

too perfect it cannot be too round if

it's too round it's not the the

traditional C that's so interesting yes

yes yeah so these are the very little

detail that that we

[Music]

have here is where the defat chicken

wings happen onto that as well chicken

wing magic yeah so it's constantly able

to catle about 100 chicken wings and the

cooking time is probably like 5 minutes

and this is for us to prepare some of

the package uh soup sauce things like

that see whatever is in use and then we

have the B Marine where we warm up all

the sources

[Music]

yeah and then we are using all the comi

ovens for our food pration so which is a

a state-of the art that can be you know

used for a lot of different different

cooking onto that also

yeah in here the serving line we have

two to tree coworker so the

responsibility for the first coworker is

to actually lead the coworker and

coordinate that not only they need to

serve the cooworker but also they need

to look out how much customer is coming

in is the food enough and then she needs

to shout out to behind to prepare a bit

more food things like that uh you know

sh they are like the the conductor the

conductor of the team you know and then

they will actually manage the whole team

so so if your voice is like very soft

you can't do the job like whoa more meat

here we have very experienced aunties

with very loud voice that actually can

can can explain to our customer onto

that as

well I really think what makes the

experience here fun is the whole

do-it-yourself element yeah for Ika it

is a selfs sered model that customer

comes in and they will need to take a

trolley then as they move on to the

queue that's where we want to have more

impulse buying for them to actually grab

whatever exciting delicious menu and

then f up with the whole cholie I see it

I like it I grab it you grab as much as

it this because when you see an empty

tray what good is that to you right want

an overflowing tray and one thing

whatever we serve whatever is splited it

must be similar to what has been taken

on the picture in a way that's part of

your job also to match the photo exactly

exactly so I'm pretty familiar with the

Swedish restaurant menu but I don't

think I've seen any of these dishes on

the menu before but today I also want to

uh share with you uh some of the new

item we have developed and created as

well and all these things I have not

even tested as well so it is life is

real for you and then you probably can

give me some comments and then with that

we can actually rad that out eony so we

have a newly developed this is called

the fuk I think it's a traditional

Swedish uh sausage yeah so we actually

wanted to try out the the meat profile

The Taste favoring uh see we would that

be traditional enough or not and whether

is that uh do we need to actually go

along with some of the compliment source

as well but if let's say it is good

enough to go on its own why not can we

start with we start with this first okay

and this is the the normal meatball

sauce yes exact would you like some

sauce I will try the original favor

first MBE sauce by the side yes please

thank you so much and visually we look

at it how is it presentable with the

meat texture and thereafter followed by

a smell and then see how the smell will

picture that does that align or not then

lastly then of course then we'll take it

well it's tender it's easy to cut

through it smells yummy

[Music]

personally I think this the texture wise

is very flavorful uh with a very crunchy

skin outside that also met the

expectation of a sausage you know of

course then the profile or the

expectation I I think is a bit on a

stier side in a way yeah so these are

some of the some of the things that we

look out for and then we will fit back

because this probably would be a

original Swedish recipe but then we

often needs to redu and adjust

accordingly to the local taste profile I

see many factors to consider this one

next yes this one highly recommended uh

please try

this thank you your

comments M very juicy M I like it it's

yummy I think mushroom is a very

versatile ingredient as well so usually

we either make it a sauce or we actually

saute it uh as a side condiment as well

and did you come up with this dish the

idea for the dish yes M I think

everybody likes a good fried nibble yes

yeah all right so I was looking at these

I couldn't tell if they were cupcakes or

Donuts or muffins but they are in fact

cinnamon bun so these are some of the uh

uh cinnamon bun that is Swedish and then

we try to make it a little bit more more

fun in the way by adding some toppings

um I would like to try the coffee one

[Music]

please first we smell it we smell

it

[Music]

good

M honestly I was expecting it to be

quite sweet but I think the coffee has

some bitterness that cut exactly

so I've noticed that Ikea is very big on

celebrating all the festive occasions we

do offer some local relevant to

celebrate this festival for example uh

the haraya celebration we have this

nasik Kuru and this was very well

receive and year on year actually we

serve this dish uh but we do a slight

twist like last year we have the grilled

chicken Lake and this year we decided to

change it to a a k version onto that as

well but next year probably we do

another deep Fri version for example in

in next instance right thank you so much

Ean for allowing me to sample all these

lovely dishes for giving me some insight

into what you do you're welcome and hope

to have you again and then if let's say

there's another new menu and then we can

actually samper it together and then you

can give me your comments I still think

you have a really cool job can I apply

for your job also for sure send in your

resume and then we will see how

[Music]

H Co