Social Democrats Revive Failed Idea of Municipal Restaurants

Social Democrats in Stockholm are revisiting the idea of municipal restaurants, a concept with a history of failure. The proposal involves a restaurant in Södermalm connected to a large kitchen that prepares meals for the elderly, adhering to the municipality's sustainability and nutrition policies.

Historically, municipal attempts at running restaurants, known as "folkrestauranger" (people's restaurants), were characterized by a lack of ambition for a festive atmosphere. The current proposal, with the ruling red-green coalition's apparent reluctance to allow seniors to enjoy adult beverages with their meals, is unlikely to be any more festive.

Municipalities have largely left restaurant operations to the private sector for good reason. Past experiences with state-run establishments in the 20th century offer lessons about politics and control. These restaurants mandated eating to limit alcohol consumption, but this led to people circumventing rules, frequenting "bar crawls," and a decline in food quality as establishments cut costs on unpopular dishes. Some places became mere drinking dens.

During and after World War II, state-run restaurants faced further issues due to rationing and complex regulations, hindering renovations. By the time regulations were eased and renovations were completed at great expense, the abolition of rationing led to a loss of customers. Attempts to attract patrons with striptease and cigarette girls proved short-lived. Even state-run hamburger chains like Clock couldn't save the venture.

The article concludes by echoing the Social Democrats' call to "take back control," but historical evidence suggests that when politicians dictate everything, they end up controlling nothing.