Hesburger’s first restaurant in Italy opened in Matera on Friday, 23 October, marking the Finnish fast-food chain’s entry into the Italian market. The new two-storey restaurant is expected to provide around 20 jobs in the southern Italian city.
The restaurant, at Piazza Mulino 20, has about 200 square metres of indoor space and an outdoor terrace. Hesburger said in its 24 October announcement that the project involved an investment of more than €1 million. Staff are being supported during the opening phase by an international team from the company’s operations in other countries.
A link between Matera and Finland
The venture was developed with Venanzia Rizzi, an entrepreneur from Matera who has lived in Finland for many years and heads Hesburger’s Italian operations. In comments reported by Finnish broadcaster Yle, Rizzi described the project as a way to connect the two countries.
“Matera is my hometown and Finland my second home.”
The restaurant’s menu is largely the same as in Hesburger’s Baltic locations, apart from breakfast options. According to the company’s Finnish announcement, fresh vegetables are sourced locally in Italy, while other ingredients are supplied from Finland and Lithuania. The chain has no plans for Italy-specific menu items during the initial phase.
How Hesburger grew from a Finnish grill
Hesburger’s history dates to 1966, when Heikki and Kirsti Salmela opened a grill called Kievari Grilli in Naantali, southwest Finland. In the 1970s, they expanded to nearby Turku, where Puutorin Grilli became popular. The first restaurant bearing the Hesburger name opened in 1980 in Turku’s Hansa shopping centre.
The family-owned chain subsequently expanded across Finland and into other European markets, especially Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It also operates in countries including Bulgaria, Romania and Germany. Its more recent international expansion included a delivery-only operation in Poland and restaurants in Romania in 2024.
For now, Matera is Hesburger’s first and only Italian location. The company says any expansion into other Italian cities will be assessed on the basis of how the new restaurant performs.
