Ikea could open standalone cafes and restaurants

Along with affordable modular designs and an often-overwhelming store layout, Ikea's big drawcard is their cheap and cheerful food menu, that keeps the family dynamic happy after hours walking through the maze-like model rooms.

Ikea's low-cost in-store menu is so popular, they're considering opening standalone cafes and restaurants so you won't have to visit a store for your Swedish meatball fix, according to Fast Company. 

This reported move is just one of the food-focused innovations from Ikea Food Business managing director Michael La Cour, who has been working on reducing waste, providing a new healthy menu choices, such as the vegan Swedish meatballs which were introduced in 2015.

Since La Cour made these changes, Ikea's US food sales have gone from $1.5 billion in 2013 to $1.8 billion in 2016, and 30 percent of customers in the US who purchase food visit a local store just to eat. 

"I hope in a few years our customers will be saying, ‘Ikea is a great place to eat—and, by the way, they also sell some furniture," La Cour told Fast Company..
 
In the last two years, Ikea has created successful standalone pop-up restaurants in London, Paris, and Oslo, which meant Ikea Food lovers could avoid trekking into a store for their dollar hot dogs.