History of Restaurant Majakka Restaurant Majakka is situated on the Saimaa Lake District by the Savonlinna harbour. Osuuskauppa Keski-Saimaa (co-operative retail society) rented the restaurant premises in the year 1969. Since the 1950s it had been a restaurant called Rio that was owned by Helmi McKaye. Because the name Rio was written with capital letters, customers soon gave the restaurant a nickname R-kymppi (kymppi meaning the number 10).

As the restaurant moved to the new owner, Osuuskauppa Keski-Saimaa arranged a naming competition to find a new suitable name. The winner of the competition was a principal Veikko Ervola with his suggestion Majakka (the Lighthouse). New tenants changed immediately also the style of the premises and Restaurant Majakka opened its doors on the 16th of February 1969. Soon after the operation started the new owner expanded the place by turning the sports and fishing shop next door into restaurant premises. After that, the style of Restaurant Majakka has been changed three times.

Although the style has changed several times there is still one detail left from the past days of Rio -
a glass painting on the back wall. The glass painting was made by Kaapo Rissala and his partners. According to a story, a party of artists that were sitting in a Majakka’s cabinet didn’t have enough money to pay the bill and the glass painting was given to cover the expenses. The name of the painting is Sokeritopat (Sugarloaf Mountain) and it presents the beach scenery in Rio de Janeiro. One of the women in that glass painting is in fact Helmi McKaye, the owner of Rio, the restaurant preceding Restaurant Majakka. Nowadays Restaurant Majakka belongs to Osuuskauppa Suur-Savo restaurants

More information: tel. +358 15 206 2825