In Bryne, Forum Jæren rises 20 storeys above the flat Jæren landscape. Ability has run the canteen here since January 2020, and every day around 150 of the building's 380 employees eat home-cooked food from the buffet. For managing director Jane Espeland, the canteen is an important part of what gives the building its soul.
A building that needed a soul
Jane Espeland is a trained chef and has worked in the service industry her whole career. When she was asked to become managing director of Forum Jæren, she quickly saw what was missing.
«The building lacked a soul», she says.
The first thing she did was talk to all the tenants. She also baked a cake for everyone who worked in the building.
«Caring about people means so much. It's about caring about the tenants», says Jane.
The building is owned by Ståle Kyllingstad, who bought it in September 2024 and has been upgrading it since. Today Høghuset is home to around 100 companies with a total of 380 employees, and a new 1,000-square-metre coworking space is in place.
You should be able to see there is life here
Jane wants people to notice that things are happening in the building. Every other Tuesday, those who work there can buy eggs and freshly baked bread, and the building has hosted a pop-up market with 42 stalls. In the canteen, an artist is exhibiting their paintings.
Even so, it is everyday life that matters most.
«The most important thing is to take care of the tenants who are already in the building. Short response times, and that it is clean, nice and done properly», she says.
The canteen that brings the building together
Every day around 150 guests help themselves from the canteen buffet. The food is made from scratch by two skilled chefs from Ability.
This autumn the kitchen got new faces. The two chefs who had been there for many years chose to leave, and two new chefs took over. People on Jæren are known for sizing up new faces for a while before letting them in, but Jane is clear that the change has gone well.
«The chefs are positive and flexible, they are service-minded and good at making home-cooked food», she says.
For Jane, attitude is what makes the difference.
«It's important to be service-minded and welcoming, and to fix the challenges that come up», she says.
«Fantastic home-cooked food»
Asked what she would say to other businesses on Jæren considering Ability, her answer is short.
«The chefs make fantastic home-cooked food», says Jane Espeland.
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