New restaurant, need opinions

[hannstew]

How about a plug for your friends place for the day time? Maybe it will get some lunchtime business.. I would come to the place in VL more than in Capital, as that is the area I live. You could also offer iced tea with refills at your place.

 

[HenryNisental]

What about a few chess, checkers,etc.; board games?
And a donated library of books in english (bring two from home and take one)
a dirt floor with saw dust? And a few chickens running around?
A couple of barells with roasted peanuts for grab?
I have seen it in miami.
A dog kennel for pets?

 

[argsteve]

Location is always a tough one...I live in barrio norte....I dont have a car... so I probably wouldnt go to a bar that I needed to take a remise or even a bus ride..... Not that I wouldnt come out and check it out.... But I am not going to drop by 3 times a week if you are in Vincente Lopez....
I think most people go to a bar/rest. that is most of the time sort of close unless it is a special occasion.....
it would probably be about 40 pesos with a remise to get out your way.....but I am sure there are many expats in the North that will love your new bar.... There is a lot of business out that way.. IBM and others.... I am sure you can do very well.... the best of luck to you

 

[jazrgz]

The area you mentioned is actually quite nice and very safe and also close to the river (in that part of the river there´s a huge area right along side with bars and restaurants (none american style though). There´s lots of Office Buildings (IBM included) and tons of ppl passing by. The truth though, most ppl in this area are locals, not too many expats as far as i know. Even though is outside capital city, it´s closer from downtown than many in-city neighborhoods. Depending the time of the day (traffic) you can be there in 20mins (by car) 40 mins (by bus). You can take a bus or train to get there and then a remis to get back home (after a few drinks this would be a must hehe) but again, it should not cost you significantly more that taking a cab from downtown to villa crespo or caballita, perhaps even less. Even though VL is outside BA city in many ways is much more accessible and way safer and nicer than many other areas in the city, definately a place to check out often

-Juan

 

[RyanHairStylist]

I think the biggest thing is Consistency, not what your serving but that it is always the same.

Customers go back to the Huge Franchise restaurants because its always the same.
I personally feel from working in many restaurants/bars before doing what I do now
(and this does include what i do now) is Consistency.

Keeping the same staff,same location(Which I know I have lost clients for in the past)

Same menu,same size portions, and alas providing the same service.

Do Not Ignore the table, but don't over serve.

Give incentives to your staff. Make them want to work for you.

Its not 100% about what the food is like; but are people always being greeted the same way, by the same staff. The Atmosphere.

Hire competent friendly staff, not the bartender with the big boobs and the guy with the killer jaw line.( who spend more time chatting with their friends, than taking care of your guests)

Guest's that come into a business notice when there isn't consistent staff.

Owners tend to blame failure on not having good staff. It's not their fault, but really the success of a business or failure comes down to one person. YOU

But the common thread of places that switch things all the time is the--> OWNERS.
In fact most owners screw up a business before the employees do.

Its not about having cheap fast food , but Consistency

Start small with the business, Get a good solid clientele before making it a gong show.

McDonald's started with one sandwich, one person, one type of Consistent service. This is why now they have a solid business, and make billions of Dollars every year.

They didn't start as something huge but its because of the Consistency they are still open over 50 years later.

I know this from owning a small business and trying to build it slowly into a bigger one. Step by step.

I know "Free" anything is not a good Idea. And anyone who says that obviously hasn't owned or ran a company or location.

Clients don't really give a crap about "free"

Free Refills can cost thousands of pesos a month. And that is why people dont do it here. Not cost effective.

In fact guests will 9 out of 10 times get another drink (and pay for it), If actually asked.

Clean dirty plates off the table, Clean the floors, bathrooms.

Not a Huge Menu, Huge List of Drinks, Millions Of Locations, Staff, and Problems.
Keep the place clean even if it is a bar.

Take 5% of your monthly profit and invest it back into our business and staff.
When your location starts to look like Sugar (which smells like a dump and has horrible staff) People like my self or others don't go back... Ever.

When things fall apart FIX THEM. CORRECTLY. Not cheaply.

And that is my humble Opinion.

I wish You all the best in Opening a business, follow your passion and heart and you will be bound to be successful!
Ryan

 

[sesamosinsal]

I know "Free" anything is not a good Idea. And anyone who says that obviously hasn't owned or ran a company or location.

Clients don't really give a crap about "free"

Free Refills can cost thousands of pesos a month. And that is why people dont do it here. Not cost effective.

In fact guests will 9 out of 10 times get another drink (and pay for it), If actually asked.

What are they going to refill in Argentina? Your bottle with another bottle? People don't do it here because they're stuck in the 50s or something. The street cafes are cute, but once inside I feel like I'm on the set of "I Love Lucy".

In the U.S., I can't think of one restaurant that doesn't do "free" refills -- and of course, it isn't free. They charge $1.50-$2.00 for a glass. A two-liter bottle of soda costs less. Does anyone sit down at dinner and drink a two-liter? Most do not. How is that not cost effective? Gas stations where I live charge .69 USD for a 44 oz, ferchristssake!

Paying $6-$10 ARG for a rinky-dink 20 oz bottle of soda that you have to pour into a cup (where it fizzes and goes flat) is ridiculous.

No one likes being nickled-and-dimed, and people most certainly like things to be "free," even if they're really not.

 

[va2ba]

I agree that the location is not the best place in the world, which is why I am leaning towards being less of a bar and more of a restaurant. I know that people aren't going to come all this way just for a few drinks. But with good food, hopefully free refills (not bottled refills of course), good service and good atmosphere will make people want to come out here for a nice relaxing evening.

We also plan on trying to have major sporting events that are important to expats on TV in English with sound. This would be for the world cup when the US or Canada plays or the world cup finals or maybe even the NBA or NHL finals are on (but this will be harder to do for 7 games each). And during the NFL season we would like to have NFL games on. We also plan to have live music at least once a week.

But I do think that the location has a lot of pluses. It is very safe. One of the safest places I've been. The police station is across the street (police who are actually paid because they are not in Capital and actually do their job) and the President lives 8 blocks away so crime is not tolerated here.

The river is 4 blocks away and it is a beautiful place to spend the day. So maybe on the weekends you could spend the day at the river and then come here for a ncie relaxing dinner.

As for transportation, the 29 bus stops right in front and goes to Plaza Italia and we are going to try to work out some sort of discount with the remise agency across the street.

But like I said, I am hoping to make up for the location with a great restaurant that people will want to come eat at.

All of your opinions are greatly appreciated. Keep them coming!

 

[citygirl]

My opinion - for as little as its worth
Your initial draw will be expats who are looking for "familiar" type of food. And the vast majority of expats are located in Cap Fed. And I would be surprised if a lot of them would be willing to travel. Maybe once to try it but regularly, probably not.

All the food you mentioned sounds great. But I (from Belgrano) wouldn't be willing to travel to a restaurant outside Cap Fed.

And if you can't change the decor and make it an "authentic" American bar, you're probably not going to have a lot of draw from Argentines looking to experience something different.

So IMHO, the location just wouldn't work. And while the area is indeed a good one, my office is there, a lot of people go home after work. After all, there's probably a reason your friend doesn't do dinner !

There's definitely a market for "American" food. Look at Kansas - it is packed all day every day. I think your idea is great but personally, I wouldn't consider your location.

 

[timsofam]

Dear va2ba,
I am an American expat opening a restaurant in Mercedes, BA, in about 2 weeks. Although different from opeing something in the city, I've learned a lot about that part of the game. I was a restauratuer in the states before coming to Argy. I've made a lot of contacts with suppliers and such. Please send me an email and we can talk more. Sounds like fun and hope it goes. Cheers. Tim V