Hannu Wiss lashes out at modern restaurant scene after selling Bodega Salud

Tamperelainen republished a 2014 interview with former Tampere restaurateur Hannu Wiss following his death reported earlier by the paper. In it, Wiss criticised the modern restaurant industry and its regulations.

He and his wife Lea had recently sold their long-running Bodega Salud to Rengasravintolat Oy, a business with annual turnover of just over €3 million. Wiss said he had lost the spark for the work. He was relieved to step away. He blamed politicians' patronising alcohol policies, ego-driven inspectors and the proliferation of chef TV shows for making running a restaurant far harder than before.

Wiss also attacked the rise of star culture among kitchen staff, strict dietary demands and the high cost of local produce. He argued many restrictions are excessive. While acknowledging that celiac disease is real, he estimated about 97 percent of ingredient-related restrictions are imagined. He said he would remain a customer at Salud and welcomed the new owners trying their luck, but otherwise found the sector's changes intolerable.