www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Im curious to see the drawbacks or difficulties in opening a bar in that area.. with only 2 places (blue marlin and key largo), why hasn't anyone tried something similar? Is it hard to obtain a liquor license? Will there be problems in competing with HDR and their bars? If the girls are there, and the drinks/food are priced right... why not? Just looking for some insight. I have read the problems on owning property there, and aside from that i'm looking at other issues... Thanks

The main issue is that it's in Costa Rica. The second issue is that you are a gringo.

Actually im a hispanic born outside of the US, but you can call me whatever you want. I'm saying theoretically if someone opened the place what would be the difficulties in regards to local competition and permits/license's....

Just buy one of several that are for sale, give it a go, and report back how it went.
Nothing like on the job training
Most folks are here to get away from work, not looking to add more to ones life?

If your dream is to own a cash cow cat house... well get in line your # is 21,819

Also do you know how to leave Costa Rica with a cool million????

Suerte amigo

there are most likely no more difficulties than you would expect to find anywhere else....that's not to say there are no problems or difficulties, there surely are...just try to get a building permit in Malibu.

As I see it , one would need to be fully capitalized, speak Spanish fluently, have a solid and experienced tico/tica management team and bring plenty of club/dance/bar/restaurant/customer service experience along with plenty of money.

Look forward to the opening...as an aside..the clubs which were located across from Baja Beach were a flop primarily because the gringo owner was a fool, arrogant and lacked knowledge of THIS market...money alone can't buy you love, nor a successful bar

This topic is a cliche . 74% of Newbies to the gulch have the fantasy of owning a bar.

A few of them actually do it. You can go by and talk with Greg, the owner of Chubbs and Bobby, the owner of Pappis. They may be able to shed some light on the idea for you.

The average profit of a Gringo owned business in Costa Rica is negative 108 %.

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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.

Geengo is going to open a Sandguich shop

CRT tip # 1,456... send a friend to eat there first

Read the threads about the NY Bar, and then do a search on the Nashville South. While you are at it do a search on Shannon's and Baja Beach. Far too many guys think that being an alcoholic qualifies them to run a bar, though I'm not saying you have that problem. We'll see how the Wild Cherry goes when it opens. There was even a strip club a block and a half from the Del Rey that folded and has been empty for years. The reason for failure are varied but I wouldn't jump into the water until I had a list of all of them and was sure none applied to me.

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

+1 That is phucking priceless! And true...

I dug up these two previous thread links for your reading pleasure. Your Welcome.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=19461

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24806

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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.

Hank, I do....start w/ 2 million

Licenses for alchol are really expensive in CR - while I'm not personally interested in opening a bar, I've been told the price is 75k or more - again, all I know is its expensive.

Plus all the muni fees, folks w/ their hand out et al - the road to hell is paved with gringos and non ticos who wanted to open one and lost a ton of money, as Bilko pointed out.

The fact that you are bilingual is a plus, but it will not overcome all the negatives - just means you will understand how you are being screwed

Don't forgot "Dos Gringos (Gordos)" I met one of these beauties before they opened and he came accross as a smug know it all (there is only room for one of us ). He regaled me with how he was opening a bar. I think I was visiting over Labor Day, returned over Turkey Day and they were already closed.

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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

First, take a look at the number of schools around the gulch, including private ones. The draw a boundary 400 meters (4 blocks from each one). This will exclude you from getting a new liquor license, so most likely you will have to rent one (which most gringo bar owners do, by the way).

Now you need a potente (business license). Easy in the States, just go to the municipalidad, apply for one, and with the lightening speed of Latin American efficiency, the next day you have one...except
potentes have value like liquor licenses, so there are Ticos who want to sell/rent theirs. So it is easier to do so then to begin paying rent and not being able to open until you receive it. btw...do not show up at the municipalidad with an attorney, they hate attorneys. Most Tico attorneys will be glad to take your money for a completely useless service.

So, if you can tolerate this, have alot of capitalization to carry you through the startup, and don't expect to really get both a liquor license and a potente, then go ahead, go for it.

I've dealt with two former clients who did get the potentes but not the liquor licenses, closed up and left the country, saddened and poorer by the experience.

Sportsmans seems pretty successful....

Sportsman's is successful, but its a different business model; hotel that happens to have a bar and restaurant. Ask Bill where he makes the lion share of his profit, I would bet that it would be his rooms.

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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