<div><p>One of the best parts about going to IKEA is taking a snack break in the restaurant. Filling up on plates of inexpensive Swedish meatballs and topping it off with a delicious ice cream cone, makes the entire adventure of going to the home goods store memorable. </p><p>Wouldn't it be amazing to get your lingonberry fix without having to put up with the hoards of people following the arrows through the massive store?</p><p>Well this unexpected revenue generator for the huge furniture store, may be coming to a city center near you. </p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/i-1-ikea-meatball-hero.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/i-1-ikea-meatball-hero_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>Fast Company</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>"We've always called the meatballs "˜the best sofa-seller,'" <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40400784/ikeas-big-bet-on-meatballs">says Gerd Diewald</a>, who runs Ikea's food operations in the U.S. "Because it's hard to do business with hungry customers. When you feed them, they stay longer, they can talk about their [potential] purchases, and they make a decision without leaving the store. That was the thinking right at the beginning."</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/WP_20141108_14_18_19_Pro.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/WP_20141108_14_18_19_Pro_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/WP_20141108_14_18_19_Pro_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/WP_20141108_14_18_19_Pro_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/WP_20141108_14_18_19_Pro_GH_content_850px.jpg 850w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/WP_20141108_14_18_19_Pro_GH_content_950px.jpg 950w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/WP_20141108_14_18_19_Pro_GH_content_1050px.jpg 1050w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/WP_20141108_14_18_19_Pro_GH_content_1150px.jpg 1150w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/WP_20141108_14_18_19_Pro_GH_content_1250px.jpg 1250w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>Over the past several years, IKEA's food division, which also includes the Swedish Food Market that is loaded full non-perishable food items and make-at-home versions of the restaurant menu item, have proven to be more than just a tool to sell more furniture. </p><p>IKEA has turned food into one of its fastest-growing segments that they are considering expanding into stand-alone cafes in city centers. </p><p>"This might sound odd, but it's almost something we didn't notice," says Michael La Cour, Ikea Food's managing director. </p><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>When the company racked up $36.5 billion in revenue last year, it's easy to see how some sandwiches and chocolate bars get lost in the receipts. </p><p> "But when I started putting the numbers into context of other food companies, suddenly I could see, well, it really is not that small."</p><p>IKEA Food had annual sales of about $1.8 billion in 2016. </p><p>Also, somewhat surprisingly, 30% of IKEA Food's customers are coming to the stores just to eat- which has gotten management thinking. </p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/ikeabreakfast.jpeg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/ikeabreakfast_GH_content_550px.jpeg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/ikeabreakfast_GH_content_650px.jpeg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/ikeabreakfast_GH_content_750px.jpeg 750w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/ikeabreakfast_GH_content_850px.jpeg 850w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/ikeabreakfast_GH_content_950px.jpeg 950w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/ikeabreakfast_GH_content_1050px.jpeg 1050w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/ikeabreakfast_GH_content_1150px.jpeg 1150w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p> "The mere fact that we don't need so many square feet to do a café or a restaurant makes it interesting by itself," says La Cour. "I firmly believe there is potential. 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.'"</p><p>What do you think? Would you go to an IKEA Cafe?</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></div>
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