Starting A Restaurant Business In Buenos Aires

[Napoleon]

I think the NOLA thing is working (and it is only closed door) in part because it is different enough from porteño food to be "something new" but isn´t too exotic or spicy (who wouldn´t love a pulled pork sandwhich?) and is tapping on an existing trend (microbrew beer) and does a lot of social media. I haven´t been there but I would like to go.

Also, New Orleans is a famous destination for Argentines, they have seen it in movies and know that it has good food, whether they have tried it or not. But they are VERY defensive about BBQ, they think they have the best in the world, and it might be hard for them to see otherwise. Even saucing a grilled meat is kind of looked down upon, as to sauce means to cover up the flavor (if you go to parrillas, you will note that only foreigners are likely to put chimichurri on their meat, at the most porteños will put on salsa criolla).

That being said, I think a place serving a US style breakfast all day long might work. You have enough expats who long for it, but because they always show it in the movies Argentines want to try it (maybe for lunch or dinner). My husband is always asking me to make waffles, pancakes, bacon, omlettes "like in the movies". So you have marketing build in. It is always harder to install a taste than to build on one that exists for you.

While the NOLA example of "familiar, but different" is nice, Cocina Sunae is spicy, agri-dulce, and atypical of almost anything you'll find in the Argentine diet and yet they have 30+ people per seating, two seatings, and have gone to 4 (FOUR) nights per week to keep up with demand.

This success all came from a Puerta Cerrada started about 5 years ago with two tables of 8 and open only one night a week.

Starting small and slowly expanding as you work on consistency and build your client base is the best way to survive in the long run.

And as for switching up what is considered standard fair here, you can do it, but you have to start slowly and you'll gradually draw out the people who realize that there are more spices in the world than just salt and more sauces than chimichurri, salsa criolla, & Salsa Golf.

 

[johnw100]

Are those his legs or sausages?

If all else fails call chef Paul P. for help and recipes.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

As Montauk suggested Buy a Franchise of Denny's coffee shop already open in Santiago, Chile.

http://www.dennys.cl/#/menu

Denny's is the US equivalent of soccer.

 

[Rich One]

Are those his legs or sausages?

Will not comment seem like schwanzes

 

[French jurist]

If all else fails call chef Paul P. for help and recipes.

How gargantuan

Impressive

 

[Beerman]

I brew craft beers if you are looking to stock good beers at your BBQ!

 

[ajoknoblauch]

I brew craft beers if you are looking to stock good beers at your BBQ!

But will the Cubbies ever scale that peak?

 

[wineguy999]

(And don't even consider serving CFS made of ground beef over thicker cut milanesa steaks...)

Sorry, but "chicken fried steak" and "ground beef" in the same sentence does not compute, unless to say, "No self-respecting cook would EVER try to pass off ground beef in a CFS."

I'm assuming you're not from any state the southern US.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

Why don t you just go to "el álamo" and talk with the owner? He is from the US and has experience in that field.

 

[gpop]

Really? A restaurant? Why in would anyone want to do that... a restaurant is not an easy gig.
My family was in the biz for decades. I've done every job there is to do in food services by the time I was 16 and couldn't wait to escape it.
Sorry to be a wet blanket but even if you have constant occupancy year round you can't hope for much in the way of profit. Overhead, staffing, tracking your food inventory and wastage, theft, loss, insurance, health inspectors, fire inspectors, taxes... it goes on.
Try a closed-door restaurant in your home or in a rented space for a while and see how it goes. I wouldn't sink any amount of money into food services even in North America now in the current state of the economy, here a niche product like you have in mind... it would just be masochistic!