www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Being able to drink isn't the pre-requisite for being in the bar business.

You may succeed, but you have a 90% chance of failure. But by all means, go ahead and try.

Restaurants, bars - hell, ANY business highly dependent on the public's taste is tough, with a high failure rate - AND NOT JUST IN COSTA RICA.

They fail with a high degree of frequency in the USA too - I'd rather be the patron vs the owner; I know which side of the bar I prefer.

Seems to be a theme with me today, but it always amuses me that a person who would never open a bar in the USA - a country he knows, with established laws, and little if any "funny business" or weird, arbitrary laws and regulations - wants to open one in a country he knows little about.

Regardless where its located, its a difficult business even when things are going well.

Yeah, that way you have more time to lay pipe in Ticas !

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* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

Liquor licenses are by zone. El Carmen (gulch/downtown) run in the 20k to 30k range to purchase and $150 to $300 to rent. The licensing and permits can be maddening but not really worse than most US cities. The key is understanding what you need and not relying sloley on a Tico lawyer. As to the rest of making it a success it is about as hard in the states as here. High failure rate is typical everywhere. Expect to work lote of hours and you have to have a reason for clients to come to your place. There are hundreds of bars downtown, just opening up a place with no specific market plan is suicide.

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BKTUNA/Boyd
I am never going home

I am being told there are some changes to liquor licenses on a national level.... they go into effect sometime during 2011 to my understanding. Transfer, by means of either renting or buying from someone is getting much more difficult once it goes into effect. I could be wrong as I have kept my nose out of this side of the business.

OK, BK, chicas can definitely be a draw, but how do you lure the chicas in? My feeling is that DR has the specific gravity/history to have that draw, other places like SL, have a lesser rep, but there are other things that draw customers. Your thoughts? or anyone's?

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“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” And we are the guys that keep them in Eggs & Grits

CRGolfer just hit the main reason it is difficult to do anything business wise in Costa Rica. The powers that be are constantly changing laws and ordinances just for shits and giggles. After 12 years, can't remember half a dozen reasonable decisions made by the gov't. I truly think you could round up some monkeys in Manuel Antonio that could rule with better logic. I don't really get it. I meet smart and intelligent Ticos everyday. But it seems like the least intelligent and educated get to positions of power here.

I get it, the Wogs in the government currently in power in the US are doing the same thing; impose regulations, which do little to help the people, but everything to help the one who is in better with what ever set of politicians looking to deal.

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“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” And we are the guys that keep them in Eggs & Grits