I´ve not and never would run a bar/cafe in Spain but owned a pub for some years in the UK. My advice to anyone thinking of going into ANY suchlike business would be to get as much experience as poss working for someone else first (UK or Spain or wherever) in your chosen service industry before jumping in at the deep end.
You may, as I did, hate it, and once you´re in, it´s VERY hard to get out of, hence all the bars etc that are for sale (whilst still of course having to remain open to cover costs). And it´s doubly hard to successfully run a business when your heart´s not in it.
Any trade like that is long hrs for v little return, hard physical work, stressful, often a marriage/partnership wrecker , unhealthy and with little or no chance for holidays, free time or a social life outside the bar. Just make sure it´s for you.
And NEVER borrow the money to buy in. IMHO.

The answer is, they change hands quite regular after being told they are making a good living.
One season and its up for sale again to the next mug, the bars stay open but with new owners, in my area if you keep a bar for three years you are on for a gold medal.
Too many bars and too few punters.
The only ones that make money are the ones the Spanish workers get their menu of the day at and they certainly couldn`t compete with them, or ones with big money behind them.

What we need is Grazy to pop back in and tell us all about running a bar!!!

And just to add...

If you like a drink, you have to make a rule about not drinking whilst working!

Looking at many English Bars here in the CB, any profit is often drunk away! Most people hate going into a bar where the landlord/lady are more pissed than the customers!

That bar is being sold ........... due to ill health

Yeah I know but his posts on the other site seem to say he is keeping it doesn't it.


His blog says the same, all very confuddling!

omg thats shocking LOL! My friend doesn't drink much at all anyway, although I think she is seriously reconsidering after this thread (I've really depressed her )

Anyone got any good ideas of any good businesses to consider? (if indeed there is any lol)

Another way to tell is to look at how many are for sale, if they were earners then they wouldn`t be for sale.

Been reading this thread and can see why your friend would be depressed, but even without first hand experience it can't come as a shock to her?

What does she do in the UK? are those skills transferable to Spain?
Could she continue but work from "home" in Spain?
How much will she need to earn in Spain?
Does she speak the lingo?
Could she hijack a Group 4 van and live off the proceeds? I think thats what JD "Fingers" R did!!!

You just woken up from your nap?

I probably shouldn't have sounded so negative - sorry. What I have related is our experiences this year. We came out with such high hopes - there is just the two of us so we had no additional worries like schooling etc. but have just not found a business that is viable, The businesses that are on the market in our area were on the market last August when we started looking on the internet. We came out last October - they were still for sale and this October they are still for sale. Our commercial agent tells us that an awful lot of bar/cafe owners are not paying their rent but they will not come down on their prices at all! What tends to happen is that people buy a business put in new furniture etc etc and then have no operating capital. They then cannot afford to keep going, put the business on the market expecting the next owner to pay for all their improvements so that they do not lose their money:curse:

A property we looked at earlier this year and started proceedings to purchase had only traded for two months - this person had decided to open a deli selling British chutneys, cheeses, expensive chocolates etc etc. Needless to say there were no sales. It was expensively kitted out and she wanted to charge a large amount for the trespaso just so that she wasn't out of pocket! With an unhelpful agent who also told lies we lost the sum of €3,500 - neither of us are stupid but when we asked for a deposit back because of the lies that we had been told we were threatened - not a nice experience I can assure you.

I wish your friend the very best of luck but please please be very careful. As others have said yes they are some successful businesses out there and unless people are retiring or are truly unwell those businesses will not be for sale. Please also bear in mind that the Spanish always have the best locations.

Do you know how to open the boxes without spreading the dye ?

Honestly it does happen.. I have seen a lot of very slim landladies with shiny red noses and beerbellies nursing a vodka and coke at 0900 hrs! ...

Not attractive... :

It's not all doom and gloom guys.

We've got some friends who have a nice little cafe above Mas Y Mas supermarket in the Plaza Central in Calpe. They've been running it for about 2+ years now and although they've not become millionaires from it, they're making a pretty decent living.

They've very recently decided that they want a change of lifestyle and looking to re-locate to France to open an tea room/art gallery, so have decided to put the cafe up for sale. They open at about 8am...ish and close at about 2.30pm daily (not bad for working hours as far as I'm concerned!!), Monday to Saturday, closed on Sundays. This cafe is a little gold mine in my opinion, if run properly by people who know what they're doing, it can return quite a good profit......but that is only my opinion.

So, returning to my initial thoughts.....it's NOT ALL doom and gloom

Is that the one with the Burger King and largish toy shop??
We went to Calpe for a few years running when the lad was a nipper staying on Levante Beach - Every day I used to take him to the toyshop for his treat - some of our best family hoildays before the shrug and mumble stage set in.