Santiago, what's missing?

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Tor

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Jan 1, 2002
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AZB said:
I will second the 24/7 dinner idea. We need an american type dinner here, clean and good prices.
Now if anyone is thinking of opening up an american type cafe on the side walk like in tourist resort areas, forget it. Santiago is real dominican republic, not an off-shoot of sosua and cabarete. Things work differently here. No tourists to begin on top of that, the economy really sucks at the moment. No matter what business you will open up now, it will probably go under in short time. You need to speak good spanish to get anything done here. You need contacts here as well. There is a good chance, 3 more businesses like yourself would open up near you within a year. The copycats just wait around to see who is doing good, then copy the business and everyone goes to hell in the end.
A 24/7 dinner sounds good, but still a risky business. There are plenty of late night famous carts all over the city and then you have marchena who serves all dominican food plus sandwiches. You have super central that is also open 24/7 and serves real campo dominican food. If your prices are gringo, then forget it.
AZB
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Why on earth are you comming up with Sosua and Cabarete ???? Heard about Paris, London or New York ??? Can you mention one City about same size as Santiago where you don't can sit down with a cold beer on the most busy shopping street ??
 
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johne

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Jun 28, 2003
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I would like to see

a very slick cafe. One that serves class A expresso and very rich cappuchino in a surrounding like NY, Paris that you mentioned. Maybe a place with an outdoor garden right off the side of the cafe. maybe a cafe with some dolce. Clean bathrooms and to top it off some world class art to sooth the soul. All at very low price and uncrowded in a modern building supported by some rich dude and his family. Now that would be something!

What do you think of that idea?.......oopps it already exists. Sorry. Be back with another idea later.
 
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laurapasinifan

Silver
Sep 19, 2005
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the cafe idea sounds good for the old city streets, but I doubt it would work with the clientel that frequent those streets. Lower income shoppers walking most places or catching the bus from Las carerras.

those cafes are hits in places where upper income people walk the streets. I dont see many upper income residents walking Del Sol or the streets off it much.

I think it is more of a vistors idea......wouldnt it be nice , when I ( big enphasis there) go there and I can can have an expresso and kick back and listen to some nice music and watch Santiago walk by!!!

I think the upper click of Santiago Drives everyplace gets out gets in and then goes right back to the vehicle....

not like manhattan at all...

I walked those streets almost every trip.. I was always pulling tavina out of her house and taking a trip into the city for anything..get her nails done , go buy some shoes...anything...jjust walk the streets....

we passed mostly lower income shoppers...not poor people, but people that seemingly would watch how they spent money....

thats the impression i got.

there might be a place in the city i dont know of that it would fit better....but I dont think it would work in the old city part.

bad bad bob
 
T

Tor

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
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You have Plaza Lama on that street, the big Orange shop, Pizza Hut and McDonalds seems to do good. Why wouldn't a bar or cafe who sells cold beers survive there ?
AZB claims there are no tourist's in town, how does all the souvenir shops in the area survive ?
 
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johne

Silver
Jun 28, 2003
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johne said:
a very slick cafe. One that serves class A expresso and very rich cappuchino in a surrounding like NY, Paris that you mentioned. Maybe a place with an outdoor garden right off the side of the cafe. maybe a cafe with some dolce. Clean bathrooms and to top it off some world class art to sooth the soul. All at very low price and uncrowded in a modern building supported by some rich dude and his family. Now that would be something!

What do you think of that idea?.......oopps it already exists. Sorry. Be back with another idea later.
Click to expand...

Hey John if that's what you want why don't you try the Leon Musuem???
 
A

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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Tor said:
You have Plaza Lama on that street, the big Orange shop, Pizza Hut and McDonalds seems to do good. Why wouldn't a bar or cafe who sells cold beers survive there ?
AZB claims there are no tourist's in town, how does all the souvenir shops in the area survive ?
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I see that you don't know santiago well.
Almost everyone sells a cold beer anywhere in santiago. So no big deal about selling a cold one. Then people in this town actually work so there aren't any lazy expats siting around drinking beers at 1pm in the afternoon on calle del sol.
98% of the stores on calle del sol are all canal street type stores so no fancy stuff there, hence, no money people wander around there for shopping.
Now its correct Mcdonalds and pizza hut exist on the same street but remember, one sells burgers and other sells pizza. They have been around for many years and both places cater to 100% dominican customers.
Now if you are thinking of opening up a fancy street cafe, I am not even sure if you can put chairs on the sidewalk. It may not even be allowed on that particular street.
Anyone who lives in santiago will tell you that we almost never see any tourists. very very few people come this way. The simple reason: no beach here and one has to speak spanish.
Now calle del sol is no hot spot to open up a business like this anyway. apart from pez dorado and francifol, we have nothing else of this type. These 2 businesses have been around for many many years. they have established their names a long time ago (in the good days). The santiagueros do not think of calle del sol for party atmosphere. Only the tourists, when they do come here, end up in calle del sol. The trendy santiagueros have nothing to find in calle del sol, unless they want to go to francifol bar/cafe or pez dorado to eat. No one goes there to hang around at a street cafe. Francifol bar/cafe only comes to life at night anyway.
So please spend some time in santiago before think about opening up a business. Learn what people want and then react.
AZB
 
carlos

carlos

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May 29, 2002
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Tor said:
how does all the souvenir shops in the area survive ?
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mostly Dominicans buying gifts to send abroad to family members. Also Dominicans from abroad that visit and want to take a gift for someone.

They also sell paintings and so on that mostly Dominicans buy.
 
carlos

carlos

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May 29, 2002
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not sure if still around, but there was this italian place with not so bad sandwiches. I think it was across from radio shack

can't remember the name

the problem is many of these places come and go

pez dorado will not be one of those places
 
T

Tor

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
853
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0
AZB said:
I see that you don't know santiago well.
Almost everyone sells a cold beer anywhere in santiago. So no big deal about selling a cold one. Then people in this town actually work so there aren't any lazy expats siting around drinking beers at 1pm in the afternoon on calle del sol.
98% of the stores on calle del sol are all canal street type stores so no fancy stuff there, hence, no money people wander around there for shopping.
Now its correct Mcdonalds and pizza hut exist on the same street but remember, one sells burgers and other sells pizza. They have been around for many years and both places cater to 100% dominican customers.
Now if you are thinking of opening up a fancy street cafe, I am not even sure if you can put chairs on the sidewalk. It may not even be allowed on that particular street.
Anyone who lives in santiago will tell you that we almost never see any tourists. very very few people come this way. The simple reason: no beach here and one has to speak spanish.
Now calle del sol is no hot spot to open up a business like this anyway. apart from pez dorado and francifol, we have nothing else of this type. These 2 businesses have been around for many many years. they have established their names a long time ago (in the good days). The santiagueros do not think of calle del sol for party atmosphere. Only the tourists, when they do come here, end up in calle del sol. The trendy santiagueros have nothing to find in calle del sol, unless they want to go to francifol bar/cafe or pez dorado to eat. No one goes there to hang around at a street cafe. Francifol bar/cafe only comes to life at night anyway.
So please spend some time in santiago before think about opening up a business. Learn what people want and then react.
AZB
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AZB
I have no plans to open anything. Just said that I miss a small place to sit down and relax with a beer in that busy shopping area.
 
cobraboy

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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suarezn said:
All you gotta do is open one place and as soon as you're successful the whole street will be lined with cafes. That's the typical Dominican MO (copy whatever is doing well) In the end it gets saturated and then nobody does well...
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LOL! How true.

In Bayacanes, on the road between La Vega and Jarabacoa, there are 52 Mazorca arepas stands in 1 mile: 1 per 100 feet!!!!:cheeky:

We often wonder which one was first...
 
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