The town of Sosua is killing itself.....

Jimmydr

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Apr 17, 2003
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Nothing more that pure greed. When I first arrived here years ago, dinner was about $8. The peso then went down and dinner went to $5. These days dinner is going for $15 to $20 and basically its crap. Food prices in the supermarkets have been dropping over the past month or so but not the greedy restaurants. I buy a pound of chicken cutlets for 98 pesos and it feeds me, my gurl, the two kids and the nanny. I buy a 50 pound bag of rice for 920 pesos and that lasts a month. Shrimp is going for 182 a pound and that feeds the family as well. Lobster tails, they are 264 a pound and two packs feeds us all. Lobster tails in a restaurant might be $20 a person plus that 26% tax.

Last year many of us ate out all the time, now most don't. Greed will put most out of business soon. A well known restaurant with a prime location just went out of business recently. Go figure.
 

amy2761

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Mar 16, 2003
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Marua Mai??

Jimmydr said:
Nothing more that pure greed. When I first arrived here years ago, dinner was about $8. The peso then went down and dinner went to $5. These days dinner is going for $15 to $20 and basically its crap. Food prices in the supermarkets have been dropping over the past month or so but not the greedy restaurants. I buy a pound of chicken cutlets for 98 pesos and it feeds me, my gurl, the two kids and the nanny. I buy a 50 pound bag of rice for 920 pesos and that lasts a month. Shrimp is going for 182 a pound and that feeds the family as well. Lobster tails, they are 264 a pound and two packs feeds us all. Lobster tails in a restaurant might be $20 a person plus that 26% tax.

Last year many of us ate out all the time, now most don't. Greed will put most out of business soon. A well known restaurant with a prime location just went out of business recently. Go figure.


I hope that's not the well known restaurant that you're talking about .... Rafael has all his ducks in a row IMO, and just take a stroll down to the steakhouse right accross from the Orange store ..... Roadhouse or something, sorry, not sure on the name, but that's where you can find the whole Marua crew, including Rafeal - the owner. :)

I agree with your post though, last year we used to go eat out at least once a week if not more ..... now we don't due to the high prices of restaurant food. Plain and simple.

Stay well,
Amy
 

Jimmydr

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Down the road past Hotel Residential a German guy opened a small snack bar. I just had the snitzel sandwich with fries for the first time last month. It was 120 pesos and it filled me up. Since then I may have eaten 20 or more of them. I never had German food before and now I like it alot, maybe because its so cheap and taste very good. Last week he told me he sold 50 in 1 day. guess alot of people are beginning to like them sandwiches. Not being greedy will get you a customer base.
 

Escott

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Jan 14, 2002
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Eating out!

I have also cut back on eating out for a number of reasons.

I have been growing fresh vegetables on my mini finca and have always preferred my home cooking to eating in restaurans. I now have my maid prepare every week rice and beans, cooked squash and ground Yucca which mostly comes from my own property. I also have her prepare chopped Onions, Garlic and peppers so it is right there to cook with.

The only place I will go to eat in Sosua with the exception of Rockys for breakfast daily and an occasional dinner is Josephs Grill and Grape. At least that place is a treat. I now find it a bargain at 30-40 bux a head because it is a treat.

I am eating much healthier and it costs much less now to eat even though the prices have gone up and stay up.

Escott
 

Camden Tom

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Dec 1, 2002
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My wife and I used to eat at all the Cabarete beach restaurants almost every night. Now I think it's been almost a year because of the rediculous prices they are charging (except the little pizza place at the end of the alley) Hopefully it will eventually sink in.
 

MommC

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Mar 2, 2002
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It's the same on the south shore!

We had friends that came down for five weeks last year....made sure they got a place with a kitchenette so they could cook and they didn't use it at all!
Went out to eat 2-3x daily. We'd laugh at night when we'd see them carrying take-out cups of tea home around midnight 'cause they couldn't even be bothered to make tea prices were so cheap.

We ate out (dinner and sometimes lunch) for over a month while our new kitchen was under construction (including the week I had the whole flamn damily here) however this year it was a "treat" to eat out once a week due to the much higher prices......

Good thing I like to cook and am a fairly good one at that!
 

suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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While prices have surely doubled or more these restaurants mus tbe doing good business to continue to charge that much. It's all about supply and demand... If they were suffering I'm sure they would lower their prices. If not let them go out of business...
 

rellosk

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Mar 18, 2002
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suarezn said:
While prices have surely doubled or more these restaurants mus tbe doing good business to continue to charge that much. It's all about supply and demand... If they were suffering I'm sure they would lower their prices. If not let them go out of business...
At one point one of the restaurant/bar owners I was speaking with blamed their higher prices on their suppliers. This was a few months ago, I don't know if the suppliers have lowered their prices since then.
 

CyaBye3015

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Jan 8, 2003
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Escott said:
I have also cut back on eating out for a number of reasons.

I now have my maid prepare every week rice and beans, cooked squash and ground Yucca which mostly comes from my own property. Escott

Scott, you must have found the Yucca thief!
 

Jimmydr

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Camden Tom said:
My wife and I used to eat at all the Cabarete beach restaurants almost every night. Now I think it's been almost a year because of the rediculous prices they are charging (except the little pizza place at the end of the alley) Hopefully it will eventually sink in.


Their greed has cost them. A 50 percent price cut will mean 5 times more business.
 

Jimmydr

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suarezn said:
While prices have surely doubled or more these restaurants mus tbe doing good business to continue to charge that much. It's all about supply and demand... If they were suffering I'm sure they would lower their prices. If not let them go out of business...


In Sosua many are empty and a few are out of business. Baileys a new place has taken most of Bolgnas bar business away. A chicken sandwich is about 95 pesos there and its pretty good.
 

Jimmydr

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rellosk said:
At one point one of the restaurant/bar owners I was speaking with blamed their higher prices on their suppliers. This was a few months ago, I don't know if the suppliers have lowered their prices since then.

Most of them buy their stuff at the supoermarkets and the markets have dropped their prices.
 

jackquontee

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Unfortunately, this approach to business is not exclusive to the DR. Many businesses that look at the long term picture decrease their prices and increase their customer base. As a result, they maintain their longevity and profit as a result of doing volume business.

The others attempt another approach. They retain higher prices yet net profit is no more than the higher volume establishments and, ultimately and eventually, discourage patronage as a result of higher prices. In the end, the lower priced but higher volume focused establishments win. Good for the customer.
 

Larry

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Mar 22, 2002
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I am going to be in Sosua for 5 weeks starting this weekend. A list of all establishments in Sosua or Charamicos where I can have a good, REASONABLE meal would be GREATLY appreciated. I do not plan on spending any more for meals than I have to and I am not very picky.

Thanks in advance.

Larry
 

carina

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Mar 13, 2005
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Larry said:
I am going to be in Sosua for 5 weeks starting this weekend. A list of all establishments in Sosua or Charamicos where I can have a good, REASONABLE meal would be GREATLY appreciated. I do not plan on spending any more for meals than I have to and I am not very picky.

Thanks in advance.

Larry

Go to the casa of Escott ;)
 

PlantaFULL

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Oct 21, 2004
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My record dinner spending here was in december i believe, U$ was at 31 or 30, there is a Brazilian Churrascaria in Ciduad Colonial by the Colon Plaza where they have a bunch of very nice restaurants lined up.

Food was 900 and something pesos per head, without taxes and tip. Not been eating out much ever since :(
 

Larry

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Mar 22, 2002
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carina said:
Go to the casa of Escott ;)


Thats ok, Scott owes me a couple of dinners. He can take me to the expensive places and when I am alone, I will eat in the cheap joints :)

Larry
 

Jimmydr

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Larry said:
I am going to be in Sosua for 5 weeks starting this weekend. A list of all establishments in Sosua or Charamicos where I can have a good, REASONABLE meal would be GREATLY appreciated. I do not plan on spending any more for meals than I have to and I am not very picky.

Thanks in advance.

Larry


I ate at Baileys tonight. A snitzel sandwich was 90 pesos and I had a hot chocolate and a sundae. I was full and it was about 275 pesos.