1/5 Joakim Lloyd R. 2 years ago on Google ⢠102 reviews
In
Swedish,
Tysta
Mari
means
âQuiet
Maryâ.
As
quiet
as
this
restaurantâs
founder
may
have
been
back
in
1834,
today,
the
only
thing
quiet
will
be
the
echoing
sound
of
emptiness
from
your
wallet
once
youâve
paid
the
bill.
I've
long
been
addicted
to
Scandinaviaâs
open-faced
shrimp
sandwiches.
Over
the
years,
Iâve
eaten
at
least
a
couple
of
hundred
of
them
â
all
over
Sweden,
Norway
and
Denmark.
So
when
the
craving
came
upon
me
the
other
day
while
in
the
Swedish
capital,
I
walked
to
the
nearest
cafĂŠ
for
what
I
was
hoping
would
be
a
tasty,
affordable
fix.
That
place
happened
to
be
Tysta
Mari
a
cafĂŠ/restaurant
in
Stockholmâs
premier
indoor
market,
Ăstermalmshallen.
But
boy,
what
a
costly
choice
that
turned
out
to
be.
As
a
guest
at
Tysta
Mari,
you
place
and
receive
your
order
at
the
counter.
Most
other
restaurants
in
this
market
have
table
service,
but
not
Tysta
Mari.
The
owners
have
clearly
identified
that
by
eliminating
service
from
the
guest
experience
and
by
calling
it
a
âcafĂŠ"
yet
keeping
table
service
prices,
guests'
expectations
are
lowered,
staffing
costs
are
minimized
and
profitability
is
maximized.
I
totally
get
that.
Once
I
had
requested
a
sandwich
and
a
beer,
a
cashier
repeated
my
order
monotonously,
like
a
robot.
But
even
a
robot
can
be
programmed
to
say
"thank
youâ
or,
at
least
wish
me
a
âhave
a
pleasant
meal!".
If
this
sad
interaction
had
taken
place
at
a
rural
gas
station
or
a
drive-in
at
a
fast
food
joint
â
not
at
what
is
arguably
Sweden's
most
reputable,
upscale
indoor
market
â
I
would
have
disregarded
the
situation.
Once
my
ridiculously
costly
meal
was
paid
for
and
the
initial
chock
had
begun
to
sink
in,
the
cashierâs
colleague
handed
me
the
ready-made
shrimp
sandwich
which
she
had
grabbed
from
an
adjacent
display
case
filled
with
other
ready-made
plates.
No
tray
was
offered
to
me
and
when
I
kindly
asked
if
I
was
assured
somewhere
to
eat,
the
cashier
raised
her
arm
and
pointed
at
the
seating
area.
She
did
so
without
losing
eye
contact
with
me
and
then
suggested
emphatically
that
I
go
take
a
look
for
myself.
With
the
plate,
napkin,
cutlery,
and
beer
in
my
hands,
I
aimed
for
the
first
available
table.
Fortunately
â
and,
somewhat
telling
for
Tysta
Mari
â
there
were
plenty
to
choose
from.
Once
seated
but
before
I
started
eating,
I
reflected
on
the
small
size
of
the
plate
where
my
sandwich
was
positioned.
Personally,
I
would
have
never
used
such
a
small
plate
for
anything
other
than
to
serve
an
appetizer,
or,
possibly
a
dessert
on.
Certainly
not
for
such
a
small
sandwich.
But
then
I
started
thinkingâŚthe
choice
of
plate
size
was
in
itself
pretty
interesting.
Tysta
Mari
clearly
wants
you
to
believe
that
their
astronomically
priced
sandwich
is
bigger
than
it
actually
is
â
thanks
to
the
petit
plate
size.
Then
I
looked
at
the
beer.
In
Sweden,
normally,
a
large
glass
of
beer
is
50cl.
There
is
no
law
about
how
big
a
large
beer
has
to
be
in
order
to
be
called
a
âlarge"
beer.
But
traditionally
speaking,
at
least
during
my
lifetime,
itâs
always
been
50cl,
half
a
liter.
The
one
I
received
came
in
a
40cl
glass
and
had
more
foam
than
I
cared
for.
In
all
fairness,
the
sandwich
was
as
tasty
as
the
beer
was
thirst-quenching.
But
to
charge
SEK
225
for
a
small,
pretty
basic
shrimp
sandwich
and
SEK
82
for
a
barely
large
beer
is
simply
highway
robbery.
If
Tysta
Mari
was
alive
today,
Iâd
bet
a
pretty
penny
that
she
would
not
keep
quiet
about
how
her
name
and
reputation
are
being
exploited.
Todayâs
incarnation
of
her
establishment
is
owned
and
operated
by
a
huge
restaurant
group,
which
means
they
have
enormous
purchasing
power.
So,
charging
unsuspecting
guests
such
an
insane
amount
of
money
â
without
offering
any
service
whatsoever
â
is
shameful
and
reeks
of
corporate
greed.
Just
because
you
can
doesnât
mean
you
should.
Yes
folks,
I
highly
recommend
avoiding
this
restaurant.
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