Meat is not what it was

[Jano]

"Happening" in Puerto Madero will do the trick. They will also manage to relieve of some of your cash so be ready for the most famous Argentinian trick, the aVACAdabra.

 

[BROOKLYN]

yeah meat aint what it used to be! my family tells me they are exporting the best cuts of meat to europe, and leaving argentina with the cheap cuts

 

[Galatina]

Can you tell us which restaurants to keep away from?

 

[French jurist]

The other day I bought bifes de chorizo at Avicar in the city: 69 pesos!!

In the small village close to my house (30 miles North of BA), the same quality or even better costs 43 pesos (this butcher doesn't buy the meat at Mercado Central but rather from some local & small producers).

Aside of the decreasing quality (still it's possible to find good places), this price difference is quite outrageous (dumping). Even with higher rents, it's hard to justify such a 55% gap.

 

[Napoleon]

Aside of the decreasing quality (still it's possible to find good places), this price difference is quite outrageous (dumping). Even with higher rents, it's hard to justify such a 55% gap.

Not really.

In the city you have to cover:

-transportation to Mercado Central
-profit for the seller at Mercado Central
-transportation to the city
-Higher Rents
-possibly higher wages

There are a lot more hands in the cookie jar. I would recommend eating in provincia if it's a viable option.

 

[Markgeezer]

In my experience, I have had better and more tender beef in the last 9 years (of 20 odd) living here because I have a great rapore with my butcher. Butcher's know what's good and bad, the best cuts etc, and will reserve it for you. Have a few beers with them and watch the footie etc. and get your beef sorted ! Yes, I've seen a few feedlots here and there, there is a vast one in Salta belonging to one Dr. C. Menem, and another notable one near Esquina Croto. Best recent beef restaurant I have been to was El Mundo del Parilla, Bahia Blanca.

 

[French jurist]

Not really.

In the city you have to cover:

-transportation to Mercado Central
-profit for the seller at Mercado Central
-transportation to the city
-Higher Rents
-possibly higher wages

There are a lot more hands in the cookie jar. I would recommend eating in provincia if it's a viable option.

Indeed.
They might pay more taxes also (my butcher never game me a legit' purchase ticket... In the Province that's the way it goes).

 

[Markgeezer]

Forgot to mention a simple test.... if you can't eat your vacio with a dessert spoon you've been conned.

 

[mulderfox]

I'm spending Christmas at a friend's family farm. Yesterday the gauchos who work here slaughtered a lamb for us and then we grilled the thing in the afternoon for lunch & dinner.

Living in the campo provides fresher & healthier food options than in the city. But if you don't have your own land, it's not quite as idyllic.

in towns in the countryside you can by lamb and pork directly from a farm or eggs from farm chicken. you don´t need to own a farm for that. price is pretty cheap compared to buenos aires. the quality of meat is much better in the countryside.

 

[Davidglen77]

Overhead costs of a business in Capital Federal are astounding. Just the rents these stores have to pay is out of control. The only stores that can last any length of time in Capital Federal are ones owned by big companies, Coto, Farmacity, etc or stores / businesses where the owner of the business also owns the store / building where the business is located. When I owned my store here is just a few of the monthly expenses I paid:
Rent: $4000 pesos
Expensas: $700 pesos
Electric: $1000 pesos
Bank account maintenance fee: $200
Posnet (to accept credit cards) $175
Phone / Internet: $400
Water: $150
Cost per employee (sometimes I had one sometimes 2 employees depending on the season salary $3300 plus cargas sociales $1600): $4900
Miscelaneous Items, supplies, repairs: $2000
Ingresos brutos tax: 3% of all purchases (usually between $800 to $1500)
IVA: 21% of profit margin between cost and sale price (usually between $1000 to $1500) per month
Impuesto al cheque (debito / credito) 1.2% of all incoming and outgoing funds from bank account (usually between $500 to $700)
Bribes asked (I never agreed to pay and got closed down for 20 days) $undetermined
And believe it or not, I still made a small profit and covered all of my personal and living expenses each month.
It's possible to do business here, but it's very tricky and you really better know what you are doing.
I had my store for 3 years and closed down after I couldn't take all the bull any more from the city inspectors and their corrupt practices.
The rent they were asking for the store I previously had is now $8000 per month.
Now you know why things cost what they do in Capital Federal.......