Next day, as Lauri gets to work, he learns that the company will be laying off workers due to the non-profitability of certain tram routes and he is randomly chosen as one of those.

The day after Lauri has finished his last shift, Ilona is informed by the owner of Dubrovnik that the restaurant is being sold to a chain and that all employees will be let go since the new company will be bringing in its own staff.

Ilona, humbled by her recent experiences, is initially reluctant to accept for fear of failing and not being able to repay Mrs Sjöholm, but eventually agrees.

Ilona names the restaurant Work and hires some of the staff from Dubrovnik, including the troubled chef, Lajunen, plus Lauri.

[3] Damian Cannon of Movie Reviews UK awarded the film 4 stars out of 5 calling it "an examination of life and how to survive misfortune, unscrupulous characters and your own lack of foresight" and concluding that "Kaurismäki succeeds impressively".