Hi,
I'm looking at moving to Spain with my partner and 3 children and have come across a restaurant/bar I'm interested in taking over.

Does any one know the 'EL BISTRO' in Roquetas De Mar?

Neil

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I noticed that you were looking in Hungary and Bulgaria in December so guess that you have widened your search area to include Spain. Good luck with your research. As you probably know Spain is suffering from high unemployment at the present time but I do not know how this would affect the place that you are looking at so cannot comment.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

That's right Rosmary.... I've looked at loads of options and mainly looking at Bulgaria and Hungary as it was low cost but origanally looked at Spain 5 years ago and as I speak a bit of Spanish I feel its the best option.

I happen to know that a lot of bars in RdM have closed, would say come over and have a look, but I will leave others to have their input.

Personally I dont know the bar, all I do there is visit Leroy etc and come home

Hi pwwm,
The bistro I'm looking at is actually closed and was run for the past 12 years by an English couple. They have retired and come home to England due to what I believe are family issues over here the owners are also English but one has moved to brazil and one has developed Health problems and is actually in a nursing home. Here is the location of the place Calle Mar Egeo, Roquetas de Mar, Spain

Hi, I'm still looking at this but looking for people who know about, its proving pretty hard to persuade the other half now due to the economic climate but we are really no better off in uk

Do you run a restaurant in the UK? If not, why start in Spain, where you'll have greater difficulties understanding local laws, attracting local Spanish?
And if you are already in the business, what makes you believe you can do better in Spain, where the peak season is probably only 4 months or so a year?
The chains are getting in on the case - 100 Montaditos and Lizarran are expanding both in Spain and abroad - so it seems a very high risk area to get into.

Hi Stevie,
No I'm not in the restaurant game (I'm looking at employing) I have run a satellite company in the uk for a number of years and would ideally like to carry that on in Spain but I feel it may not be possible in the current climate, I am also trainer tiler.

The bistro/restaurant is a thing I've always wanted to do, quality good value food.

Neil

Well good luck, but I fear you're be taking on too much at once. Why not try doing it first in the UK, and see if you've got the necessary aptitude? When even famous chefs can come a cropper in this business, it shows it's not an easy area to make money - and as I mentioned it appears to be the chains that are taking over (and getting the custom).

If you are absolutely determined to do this I wish you luck but make sure that you have sufficient finances to ensure that your children will not end up homeless and starving because there are no back up facilities in Spain.

Rosemary

If it's closed now you may want to find out why. And not just be fobbed off with "Family problems in the UK". People will tell you all sorts if they think they're in with a chance of selling their run down, failed business.

If it's shut, there will be no custom, no passing trade, no goodwill, no nothing. It might as well be a pet shop for all the good it's doing at the moment.

If you want a restaurant/bistro, I'm sure there must be many already open with established custom and goodwill for sale. If it were me starting from nothing I think I'd prefer to take over something already open then gradually put my own mark on it.

Sounds like you want everything all at once, which is difficult at the best of times.

Sorry, put entirely wrong information!

Neil

First look at the location its right next to a 4* hotel that do full-board and all inclusive, I have been going to Roquetas De Mar over ten years and I have a house there but I have never been to this bar or spoken to anyone who has, I have been to a couple of the bars at the end of the road . The bar is down a little dead end street so no passing trade.

Steve

Thank you, this is the sort of information that is so useful.

Rosemary