From food truck to restaurant – local business grows alongside industry

As demand for services began to emerge at Boden Industrial Park, there were no ready-made solutions in place. For David Larsson, owner of M/S Bränna, it marked the starting point of a venture that began on a small scale – but would grow over time.

– They reached out and were interested in a food solution. There were no clear structures in place, so we decided to give it a try, he says.

Together with local partners, a food truck solution was developed in 2023. Two modules were assembled with the help of Bodensläp, and the operation got underway.

But the start was not what many had expected.

– There was talk that there would be a lot of people right away, but that wasn’t the case. Several operators tried, but pulled out. We decided to stay and work through it, he says.

During the first year, demand was limited, as the area was mainly characterized by groundworks. But as construction progressed, the need for services increased – and the business grew.

Next step: restaurant operations

After an extended dialogue with Stegra, the project moved into its next phase. By early 2026, a new restaurant facility was in place.

To enable the investment, Stegra has developed the infrastructure on site – including a restaurant area with a preparation kitchen, dishwashing facilities, restrooms and conference capabilities.

The restaurant, one of two local restaurants on site, is operated by Centralen i norr AB, where David Larsson is a co-owner together with Jonas Lundström and Tobias Olsson. At the same time, there is a clear link to M/S Bränna, where much of the food is prepared before being delivered to the site.

Today, lunch is served with a focus on traditional Swedish home-style cooking, often as a buffet, adapted to the growing workforce.

– We cater the food out there. We haven’t staffed the kitchen on site, instead we’ve split the operations, he says.

Today, around 150–200 lunches are served daily – with capacity to reach up to 400 guests per day.

– Looking back, it feels really good that we chose to continue when others pulled out. I see good opportunities to develop the business further and I’m positive about the future, he says.

More jobs and better conditions

The development has also had clear effects on employment. From just a few positions in the food truck, the operation has grown to around five to six jobs linked to the venture.

– It has allowed us to bring in more staff and offer more hours.

The setup, where production takes place in an existing kitchen and serving is done on site, has made it possible to scale up in line with demand.

Effects felt across Boden

At the same time, David Larsson sees that the establishment is impacting the entire local business community.

– We can see more people moving around in Boden and more people going out to eat, he says.

One of the biggest challenges, however, is the lack of hotel rooms, which affects the ability to retain business and visitors in the town.

– Many business dinners and conferences end up in other locations. There are no rooms available in Boden – all hotels are fully booked.

The city centre is the next step

As chairman of the local restaurant network, he also highlights the need to develop the town centre in line with the growth.

– There’s too little happening in the centre. We need to bring in more people and create more activities, otherwise it’s not enough to support evening business.

The journey from food truck to restaurant shows how local businesses can grow alongside industry – but also that development places new demands on the town as a whole.

– I believe we have a bright future in Boden, but we need to keep up, he says.