I don't doubt it, I just think that an empanada seller clearing 40K per week is unusual outside of big cities such as yours and SD. Same for the platano seller, but I could be wrong.
Having said that, I am aware that there is money in the DR. I see the luxury cars coming in every week ends. The villa I am renting right now belongs to a Dominican from the capital (unsure about his job). Heck, I even have a friend who has a taller doing porton, and these ugly grills for windows etc...who is doing very good for himself....always busy.
Location, location, location!
He’s in a great location and lots of traffic.
Others as well (like almost all Lalin’s empanadas carts) are peppered all sound in strategic places they control without competition.
The churros is by far the most profitable cart street food. The profits are incredible versus the costs.
You must understand these informal jobs are self employed and therefore there aren’t any associated costs other than maybe location rent and materials. The owner is the worker.
Most informal workers in the DR are conformists. They make what the need and no sooner head out to other things they deem more important than making extra atop the income.
The real poor are those without a skill or even enough to put up a self employed operation like the empanadas. They need money to make money, which they don’t have access to, nor to a personal lender.
My landlord has some 15 properties all rented out. But he also buys opportunities that show up for a quick turn over. His flat monthly income on these runs over 400k pesos a month easy.
He does nothing but hang out all week long. Playing lottery.
Like most of us here, he has discovered not being in businesses, is the best business in the DR.
Passive income is the best choice in an economy like the DR.
We’re looking at land in Las Terrenas, to build some rental properties to put under a management company we’re cozy with.
That’s my next pet project.
