MichaelandDawn

I got chatting to a member of this forum who has recently bought a cafe bar, and they recommended a certain agent who they said was fair, and informative.

I sent him an email asking on his views regards certain parts of the costa del sol.

I said i had seen a stunning cafe bar in Las Gaviotas and wondered what he thought of the area, he said he was in las Gaviotas the other day and there wasn't a sole about, it's a quiet area, but there are one or two places that can do well there but he even tried to talk a couple out of buying their last year, they thought they had a great deal because the bar was about 26,000€, they went ahead and bought and needless to say they are now back in the UK. Las Gaviotas looks great but in reality it takes a lot to encourage people to go their out of season, most places their fail because it's off the beaten track.

He also said that the same went for Benalmadena port/marina, which is great in the summer but the winter can be windy so people want more sheltered areas, also if you have a huge terrace and small interior, which is the usual scenario, in the winter you simply can't fit enough people in to make a living. Los Porches is another on to avoid, along with Bonanza and Ibenza squares.

I always thought that buying a cafe bar in the Benalmadena Marina area would be a good move!

He told me to look in Arroyo de la miel, the main areas not the two squares I just mentioned (bonanza and ibenza) , Fuengirola even but not the port,
places like Alhaurin el Grand, San Pedro or even some parts of Torremolinos. He said that the minute an agent offered me somewhere in a port, any port, it's time to avoid them!

My questions to you guys are:-

1. Do you agree with what he said regards areas to avoid?
2. Which areas of Fuengirola would still be worth considering?
3. Is Las Gaviotas not worth bothering with?
4. Whats the areas that i have marked in red like year round?


Thanks for your advice xxxx

leighbloke

So, you've asked the question on here, several times, and spoken to a commercial agent. The common link in the answers seems to be "don't do it, unless you want to, a) lose money, b) ruin your relationship & c) come home to start again.

Why don't you consider either something else or get a bar restaurant in the UK?
I wouldn't be averse to you simply giving me £30k, and save yourself some aggro?

cajam31

I don't know these areas but thought i'd just give you a bit of advice from a bar owner in Spain!
In my experience you need an area that has expats all year round, unless you are very good at speaking spanish its highly unlikely you will get many spanish customers in your bar. I'd still say you are looking at the wrong areas, when we were looking we avoided the costa del sol altogether as there appeared to be far too much competition around. We are in a quieter area, but one that has a fair few english living here all year round plus tourists in the summer, and there are only 2 british owned bars in the area. Any more than that and none of us would survive. We do have a few spanish customers but my husbands spanish is pretty good now, when we first got here with hardly any spanish we had no spanish customers at all. And for what its worth, i wish we had alot more spanish customers!
feel free to pm me if you want any info.

bil

I was always told that running a restaurant could be the fastest way to lose money short of burning it. Alternatively the oldie that it's easy to make a small fortune running a bar/restaurant providing you start with a large fortune.

Having listened to several people who run bars/restaurants, and seen how they work for their money, I take my hat off to anyone who can make a go out of it.

Maximum respect.

It isn't a way of earning money that I would want to try, but were I so inclined, I would do a MOUNTAIN of research, and listen very carefully to anyone in the know good enough to give me advice.

My suggestion would be to approach someone for whom you would be no competition whatsoever, and ask them to take you on as an unpaid help in return for tutoring you.

The one thing you must fight very hard is the urge to follow the dream in the face of advice that you don't like.

Very best of luck.

Wendy Nesbeth

A friend of ours here in the Costa Blanca South said & I quote "If you want to loose your money, buy a bar" unquote.

Steve has been here many years, speaks fluent Spanish & helps out many expats.

Wendy x

Econ

If you are opening a bar then the single most important factor that will decide if the business will work is your personality, if you have the right personality for this sort of business then your are a major step of the way there, where ever you open the bar... all be it places like the Sahara not included although you never know!

I have known many bars here up and down the Costa del sol over the years and it didn't matter if it was 30 years ago or today, if the bar was in a busy area or quite area, the ones that worked where generally the ones who had owners that worked hard and came with personality.

I must say that 99.9% of bars owners that open up here are not the right type for a successful bar and so sadly have seen many who invest in a bar in Spain having to go back to the UK broke or worse!. I think in many cases most have no idea about the business, the work involved in running a bar nor do they respect their own opening hours, end up drinking more than their customers and/or probably do no research before buying, there is something about owning a bar that seems to make us British forget our senses.

I am not suggesting you have not researched nor suggest you do not have the right personality for a bar, just trying to point out there is more to opening a bar in a busy area and expecting success. in fact I'm not even sure you are thinking of buying a bar or not.

jdr

Very true post, you can walk along, one bar packed and next door one nearly empty.
I think the chef has to be put in this picture as well, been for some great meals out and when we have returned, exactly the same bar but crap food cos the original chef has gone.

coralsoft

Nice to see a different quote on this issue, since most people seem to concentrate on how lose money.

It's always good to see a large jar on the bar for all the loose change.

MichaelandDawn

??

leighbloke

Just a pedant, nothing to be confused about.

Hillybilly

You either like or loathe Alhaurin el Grande. There is a big permanent expat population there and in neighbouring Coin, Cartama etc. Hence also a lot of expat businesses and bars...some survive, some don't. Best to go and check out all these places for yourself.

lee.walker1

at last someone who speaks some sense