Lehtovaara. Back on my radar

Sorry for not posting of the Charlie Nessons presentation. This follow up to one of my first ever blog posts seemed more important: Ravintola Lehtovaara. My first post was in "food and drink" category now it has to move to "Law".

I received a threat letter from a law firm. They are demanding me to take down my letter that is criticizing Ravintola Lehtovaara. I guess the fact that my letter is second in a Google search right after restaurants own page could make a difference.

I sent them the letter after we received really bad service. My letter is really objective and it is just pointing the difficulties the waiters had during our dinner. Seemed that Lehtovaara that is normally considered to be a good restaurant had a really bad day. The service was just unacceptably bad: (food was cold, we had to beg for water, the waiter started arguing about a wine bottle gone bad, wrong food, slow and unprofessional service. You get the picture). They never replied to it. So i put it on line and blogged it. One and a half years after our night in Lehtovaara i got a threatening email.

The legal threat letter was sent by a member of Finnish BAR Antero Molander who also owns the restaurant. The letter is demanding 5000 euros per month for the damages to the restaurant. It all adds to well over 80.000 euros plus interest. The best part of the letter is: "because you don't work in the restaurant business, you can't simply understand the damages." They don't question the facts in my letter. Threat letter just says that I should pay the damages the restaurant has suffered.  What what WHAT! Even the first year law student understands that this sort of criticism based on true facts cant lead to damages. Think about a legal system where restaurants could sue journalist that write crushing review of a restaurant...

Threats don't stop here. The letter also says that the chef will also demand damages later on. The best thing.. I never critisised the food. Just the service :)

Wait there is still more! They will start the criminal investigation against me if I don't take down the letter.

They apparently hadn't done any background checks. I have taught law and technology in several universities, I am a founding member of one of the biggest cyber rights organization in Europe and have defended publicly digital freedom of expression. Do they really think that they have a winning strategy? I am sure that many people would have rushed to take down the content. Not me. I will see their bluff.

Lehtovaara bring it on!

Update: I posted the letter here.

Comments

[anna]

Wohoo! They get a lot of "nice" publicity around, I found it in Boingboing...
So guess ONE place which is for sure where I'm not going to eat when I go with my mac to Helsinki? :)
Entertainingly brainless and priceless to sue you .. for having received bad service.

[Larry]

Don't eat at Lehtovaara restaurant.

[Larry]

Don't eat at Lehtovaara restaurant.

[Pauliina]

Täytyy nyt vähän puolustaa, kun paikkaa lyödään kuin vierasta sikaa. Meillä on perheessä ollut tapana käydä Lehtovaarassa syömässä aina isompien juhlien ja valmistujaisten yhteydessä. Kerta kerran jälkeen palvelu ja ruoka on ollut loistavaa ja illasta on jäänyt oikein miellyttäviä muistoja.

Luonnollisestikaan aloittajan kuvailemalle illalle, saati Lehtovaaran jatkotoimenpiteille, ei ole puolustusta, mutta oman kokemukseni mukaan Lehtovaaran palvelussa ei ole ollut mitään vikaa.

[K. Hanén]

Hello. We had a similar experience in Lehtovaara. We published a review on our website ruokakerho.tk and contacted them by e-mail. They replied quickly with apologies but they also demanded the review to be removed with hints of legal action. We replied that we would do no such thing. We have not heard from them since. Apparently their threats are not to be taken lightly. We wish you luck in this fight against stupidity.

[Hanna Iivonen]

Wau... Aika uskomaton tarina ja moista toimintaa Lehtovaaralta. Aina kun olin siellä, palvelu on ollut moitteetonta. Mutta outoa jos he pistävät uhkakirjeitä, eivätkä tahtoneet keskustella asiasta. Onkohan vakihenkilöstö lomalla vai mikä IHME oli kun palvelu oli noin kehnoa...

[Jarno Heikkilä]

Kiitos hyvästä infosta Ravintola Lehtovaarasta tiedän kiertää sen kaukaa!

[Sami Saarinen]

I travel past the Lehtovaara restaurant almost every day. I think I´ve never been inside, since there are so (too) many restaurants to choose from, even the good ones are plentiful. Just havent had an opportunity/time to go there, and I do go out to these kinds of places.

Now I´m definetely going. They propably have more room and a "must serve customer to perfection" attitude.

[nikke]

This page is number one in Google for "Antero Molander".

[Gerry Adams]

Having lived here in Finland for 4 years, and having visited many of Hki's best restaurants, I think I'm qualified to say that customer service (all aspects of it) is the only think the retaurant culture is truly lagging behind other places in Europe (not to mention other continents).
For me, it's a basic expectation of the waiters to know what they're serving (including ingredients of food, differences between wines etc). Then the other big part is the serving etiquette - almost nonexistent.
Hki is so great in so many ways, so why is there this huge blind spot?
Also, (one of the) the owner's attitude is just ridiculous. Sounds like there's no soul in the place, and apparently not any in the owner either.

[Perttu]

Truly unbelievable. I just sent an e-mail to the restaurant (with BCC to Herkko) telling them they make me sick and that I will boycott them forever if this case goes to court. (Who'd want to eat there anyway if the service is that bad?)

The point being: Lehtovaara seems to know even less of freedom of speech than they know of customer service.

[I.L.]

I have eaten couple of times in Lehtovaara and the food was delicious. I don't remember having any problem with service either. Still relatively good reputation of this restaurant can't be total bull****. Anyway, sending this legal threat letter was simply a very stupid move! Why didn't they just apologize and admit that some times bad service just happens..

[J A]

It is an unbelievable story! I have been in restaurant life in my whole life, life has been taking me in different places, sometimes I have ups and sometimes I have downs. Right now, I own a bar in fareast, in our bar we have 11 waitresses and about 45 dancers (prostitutes) so the business what Im running is definitely not to be proud of, so our customers are basically males over 50 yrs. old who have difficulties to get laid in their own countries and we also get complains. You can only imagine what kind of complaints we get. Even those times when the complaints are rediculous or even painful to read or hear, we still answer and react promptly. I have been living in Finland more than 35 years in my life, so I know exactly what kind of reputation that Lehtovara has, or should I say had? If I would be the owner of that resto, I would sell it immediately at whatever price and pretend that there is no problem at all because this damage what has ocurred is impossible to fix anymore.

[Stello]

Hyvä tietää, minne EI kannata mennä syömään Suomen-matkoilla.. Kerronpa samalla kaikille tutuille (jotka eivät seuraa blogeja tai pahemmin muitakaan nettisivuja), ettei Lehtovaarassa näköjään arvosteta asiakkaita ollenkaan. Eivät sitten erehdy menemään moiseen ravintolaan..

[La Fuu]

Herkko-pojulla noussut kusi päähän kun on päässyt seurustelemaan henkilöiden, jotka ovat syntyneet kalustetuissa huoneissa, kanssa. Jos poju ei osaa itse kaataa vettä lasiin, niin parempi jättää reklamaatiot tekemättä.

La Fuu

[Loka]

Lehtovaaran meininki on kuin DDR:n 70-luvulla, siellä kommarit laittoivat asiakkaan vankilaan jos kehtasi valittaa valtion ravintolan ruuasta. Laihaa kaalikeittoa jossa höysteenä oli ripaus rotanlihaa ja kärpäsia oli turistinkin syytä vain kehua jos halusi vielä maasta uloskin. Koskaan en mennyt takaisin mutta DDR kuoli pois ihan omia aikojaan ja niin kuolee Lehtovaarakin.

[teedub]

This is a wonderful story - the best of luck to law student and internet activist Herkku. You might consider setting up a legal defence fund, that would surely attract some contributions. I'd be tempted to ask the court to throw out the application on the grounds it is entirely frivolous, but on the other hand, it might be fun to watch the lawyer assemble his case, and the quantum of damages. If you have the time.
Oh and by the way, the restaurant was fine last time I went, but by God, there's no way in hell I'm going back. The market votes with it's feet.

[Juha Kuikka]

You might ask a commission from Lehtovaara for the increased business caused by your free enhancement of their publicity. I am sure there are a lot of clients going there these days just to find out what kind of a place is it.
However, I am sad that such a famous and cherished place like Lehtovaara has landed into hands of somebody who is so stupid to handle this kinds of things. He can not be very good as a businessman or restaurant owner either.

[Joona I Palaste]

When I originally heard this story I was astonished. How can the restaurant owner be that arrogant and stupid? Does he think the world revolves around him? I have never eaten at restaurant Lehtovaara and now that I have read this, I never will.

[noname]

my personal view is that assholes like this blogger should all belong behind bars. lehtovaara is a truly excellent restaurant! try get a job at your nearest tabloid if you want to spread junk. you may as well be too lazy for it.

[noname]

my personal view is that assholes like this blogger should all belong behind bars. lehtovaara is a truly excellent restaurant! try get a job at your nearest tabloid if you want to spread junk. you may as well be too lazy for it.

[noname]

my personal view is that assholes like this blogger should all belong behind bars. lehtovaara is a truly excellent restaurant! try get a job at your nearest tabloid if you want to spread junk. you may as well be too lazy for it.

and what do you kids know about DDR anyway. nothing! go back to your playgrounds and stay away from the places where grown-ups go. silly kids...

[noname]

sanotaan nyt vielä kerran että hemmetisti sapettaa se että tämän blogin juippi vaarantaa erään helsingissä pisimpään toimineen ravintolan toiminnan. toivotavasti bloggerikin oppii jotain asiasta. onnea elämään. tällaisella asenteella sitä tarvitaan.

[katarina]

Työskentelen tarjoilijana eräässä helsinkiläisessä lehtovaaran tasoisessa "hienossa" ravintolassa ja samalla alalla olevana kauhistuin lukiessani miten herkon seuruetta kohdeltiin.
on omituista miten surkeaa palvelua täkäläisissä ravintoloissa voi saada. tuntuu, että suomalaisilla on asennevammoja palvelualoilla, varsinkin ravintoloissa. liekö se 70-luvulta alkaneen tasapäistämisen ja käytöstapojen rappion tulos, vai olemmeko vain niin junttia porukkaa.

googlasin lehtovaaran aikomuksena mennä sinne syömään tänään, mutta sen sijaan sainkin lukea herkon kirjoittaman jutun ja valitsin aivan toisen ravintolaan. perusteena se, miten ravintola suhtautui palautekirjeeseen. jokaisen järkevän ravintoloitsijan olisi ymmärrettävä miten perustavanlaatuisen tärkeä on kliseinen sananlasku "asiakas on aina oikeassa" heidän toimeentulonsa kannalta.
tökerön tarjoilijan puolustukseksi tosin huomautan, että kiireisinä iltoina tarjoilijan työ voi olla ammattien stressaavimmasta päästä, etenkin jos henkilökuntaa ei ole tarpeeksi.

[Alex]

Great! I moved abroad because the service in Finland is at it's best on avoidable level! I have never visited Ravintola Lehtovaara - but thank you for the information.
It will never happen. - Amazing behaviour - they should appologise and offer you something in return. First they spoil your evening - you pay for it! I am happy to link to this site : )