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View Full Version : Advice wanted Is opening a tea room in south Tenerife a good idea?



discreet lady
28-07-2013, 16:06
we are moving to Tenerife to start up a 1940 style tea room doing the proper English tea room scones clotted cream,perfect sandwiches no beer lol,but the traditional English tea room can any body give us advice on this please Debbie and gary

casabonny
28-07-2013, 16:48
First you will have to finda local that is suitable and that can be used as a BC ( cafeteria).Once you have done this and agreed a rent with the landlord you will have to kit the place out, as I understand it all new premises such as this have to have all stainless steel in the kitchen and serving areas , but if I am wrong someone will be along and correct me.You will have to apply for an opening license, have health and hygiene certificates, be registered with social as Autonomos and with Hacinenda for this type of business..... The list goes on and on I am afraid.you need to have a reasonable amount of money behind you to start the business up and to see you through until the business starts making money.
I am sure there are many more things that I have missed but these are just a few to be going on with!Good luck.

junglejim
28-07-2013, 17:39
Don't forget to bring your own tea bags , they ain't cheap here!

9PLUS
28-07-2013, 19:15
we are moving to tenerife to start up a 1940 style tea room doing the proper english tea room scones clotted cream,perfect sandwiches no beer lol,but the traditional english tea room can any body give us advice on this please debbie and gary


spam........

Malteser Monkey
28-07-2013, 19:24
spam........

Spam sarnies great - with or without mayo ?

Leam_Lin
28-07-2013, 19:58
Spam sarnies great - with or without mayo ?


With HP sauce. Yummy.

warbey
28-07-2013, 20:12
You must allow for the Heat to affect Sandwiches quickly, so at least a Chiller is a Must.

Whilst I think the Food would be Popular, because of the Climate, there will be a demand for more Fluid than in a Pot of Tea.

Ice Creams do well, so are woprth considering.

Best of Luck.

marbro8
28-07-2013, 20:45
With HP sauce. Yummy.tomato ketchup:cheeky:
as to what food to sell i think that you can't go wrong with pasties pies and sausage rolls:wink2:, i did e-mail greggs a few years ago to ask about opening up a franchise but they never got back to me:dontknow:

rosemary
28-07-2013, 21:45
Oh pulease....Spam sandwiches??? Pies??? Ketchup and sausage rolls? NO!! Let us have at long last some Class on the island....a Proper tearooms for gentile and discriminating folk who love a nice walnut and coffee cream cake homemade, as well as REAL cream scones and tea in little pots and Proper china and Proper linen napkins....Now we are talking business.
Please have the courage to do this and do it well and you will have a hugely successful business. We need more upmarket venues here in this island of pie and mash!.
Hatties has done this in the San Blas. Let's have more....:yum:

Malteser Monkey
28-07-2013, 21:58
Oh pulease....Spam sandwiches??? Pies??? Ketchup and sausage rolls? NO!! Let us have at long last some Class on the island....a Proper tearooms for gentile and discriminating folk who love a nice walnut and coffee cream cake homemade, as well as REAL cream scones and tea in little pots and Proper china and Proper linen napkins....Now we are talking business.
Please have the courage to do this and do it well and you will have a hugely successful business. We need more upmarket venues here in this island of pie and mash!.
Hatties has done this in the San Blas. Let's have more....:yum:

Estamos bromeando mujer.......suerte to original poster but they are going to need some good advice:yum:

rosemary
28-07-2013, 22:38
Estamos bromeando mujer.......suerte to original poster but they are going to need some good advice:yum:

Lo digo en serio! I mean it. bromeando? :nono:

doreen
29-07-2013, 11:13
we are moving to Tenerife to start up a 1940 style tea room doing the proper English tea room scones clotted cream,perfect sandwiches no beer lol,but the traditional English tea room can any body give us advice on this please Debbie and gary


Oh pulease....Spam sandwiches??? Pies??? Ketchup and sausage rolls? NO!! Let us have at long last some Class on the island....a Proper tearooms for gentile and discriminating folk who love a nice walnut and coffee cream cake homemade, as well as REAL cream scones and tea in little pots and Proper china and Proper linen napkins....Now we are talking business.
Please have the courage to do this and do it well and you will have a hugely successful business. We need more upmarket venues here in this island of pie and mash!.
Hatties has done this in the San Blas. Let's have more....:yum:

My opinion, as someone with experience in the Restaurant trade in Tenerife is that this would be a very difficult business to succeed at. Casabonny has outlined well the challenge of opening a small catering business here - the paperwork & hoops you have to jump through just to get started are significantly harder than in the UK.

I am guessing you see this as a two person business, one cooking, one out front - one of you will have to register as an autonomo/self employed (min 250 euro a month payment to the State) and I'm not up to date on this, but isn't it now the case that an autonomo cannot employ their spouse, meaning that if married, you would both have to register and pay that 250 plus each)

I haven't been to Hatties, but checked Tripadvisor - note, they sell wines, salads, baguettes, quiches etc etc ... in other words, despite having a (seemingly) great view, they are not able to survive on being just a Tea Room. Also there is criticism of how slow service is, presumably because they do not employ additional staff (read, it is too costly to take on others)

Location would be so important for footfall ... you cannot just rely on the local British ex-pat community who might say they love the idea but will not be on your doorstep several days a week.

You have not said what experience you have ... margins will be tight ... ingredients often being more expensive here, but prices the market will tolerate being lower than in the UK.

A lot of research needed, I think

jack oakley
29-07-2013, 11:39
My opinion, as someone with experience in the Restaurant trade in Tenerife is that this would be a very difficult business to succeed at. Casabonny has outlined well the challenge of opening a small catering business here - the paperwork & hoops you have to jump through just to get started are significantly harder than in the UK.

I am guessing you see this as a two person business, one cooking, one out front - one of you will have to register as an autonomo/self employed (min 250 euro a month payment to the State) and I'm not up to date on this, but isn't it now the case that an autonomo cannot employ their spouse, meaning that if married, you would both have to register and pay that 250 plus each)

I haven't been to Hatties, but checked Tripadvisor - note, they sell wines, salads, baguettes, quiches etc etc ... in other words, despite having a (seemingly) great view, they are not able to survive on being just a Tea Room. Also there is criticism of how slow service is, presumably because they do not employ additional staff (read, it is too costly to take on others)

Location would be so important for footfall ... you cannot just rely on the local British ex-pat community who might say they love the idea but will not be on your doorstep several days a week.

You have not said what experience you have ... margins will be tight ... ingredients often being more expensive here, but prices the market will tolerate being lower than in the UK.

A lot of research needed, I think

Sorry to sound pessimistic but I have to agree with everything Doreen has said, every profession or money making enterprise known to man/woman has been tried and well tested in Tenerife, even the long established one's are struggling in this very difficult trading climate. If it is your dream then go for it but be well prepared for a heart breaking awakening. Good luck anyway. Jack.O:)

TenerifeTeddy
29-07-2013, 12:12
If you can find the right location and offer great food and great service then you have as good a chance as anyone to make a go of it. As Doreen says there are a lot of Administrative hurdles to overcome also overheads are high and sourcing your supplies economically is a must.

Hatties does great trade, they always seem to be busy, and the food there is delicious, as was Bonnies Tea Rooms in Callao Salvaje before they closed. However both places offer(ed) the full range of drinks: Teas Coffees, Soft Drinks, Alcohol, and full menus, Baked potatoes, pies, salads, quiche, rolls and sandwiches etc as well as a good range of cakes etc.

Researching all the elements is a must, and make sure you have enough reserves to tide you over whilst you build up the business and for quiet periods.

Good luck with your venture if you decide to got for it. :)

LUCKY
29-07-2013, 12:18
spam........


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8huXkSaL7o
:feret::feret::feret::feret:

discreet lady
29-07-2013, 15:21
thankyou very much for your reply we was over there in march viewing cafes,but to be honest the ones we looked at was just so so,also we did eat at harriets tea room we thought just ok,we had cheese salad,salad was nice but cheese like rubber lol,i did ask the chap regarding the cheese he said it was to expensive to serve chedder,is there a name of a local newspaper which I could order online so we can have another look at cafes,because to be honest both agents we did see when we was over there was more interested in just getting a deposit off us,but we are not daft regarding this,thankyopu for being so helpful Doreen Debbie and gary

carpdaught1
29-07-2013, 15:24
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8huXkSaL7o
:feret::feret::feret::feret:

looking forward to you opening although all buisness advice is well meant do your home work first as they said but i miss the tea rooms we have in england so relly looking forward to treating myself good luck

9PLUS
29-07-2013, 15:52
For Cheddar cheese i would start to negotiate with Iceland for a deal.

rosemary
29-07-2013, 16:00
If it's non profitable why bother with cheese salad at all? Plenty of other things to eat. Be brave, be bold, be different, be inventive, be clever with food and the ambience. That's how to make money. Not by following the herd.

primrose
29-07-2013, 16:42
I am very interested to know where in Tenerife you can get "CLOTTED CREAM" :woo:

Iceland.....

megsdad
29-07-2013, 16:47
If you feel this is for you then do it. Unfortunately there are many failures on this island who thought they knew about running a business and even thoughs who dont even live here who love to comment.
I acctually use Hatties, unlike some who for some reason comment on a business they havent even visited. It is a great role model for what you seem to be aiming for, although off the walkway for passing trade, it has a loyal local clientele and doesnt bother opening evenings as it doesnt bother with a drinks trade.
Worth studying this business if your heart is set on this venture

Ricman
29-07-2013, 17:11
Is the Lakeland cafe in Los Cristianos still going ? Not been there for ages but it was always popular & seemed to be a mirror image of what these people are thinking of doing.

marbro8
29-07-2013, 19:19
i remember a little tea room type place just at the back of the casino walking from las americas to san eugenio, they had the same idea, home made victoria sandwich, carrot cake, bacon sandwiches etc etc, the old guy used to do the pr ing just down by the sea front where they have built the new steps, haven't seen him for a while?, we tried it a few times, it never seemed very busy, we ordered sandwiches but they couldn't get them right?, i thought surely being british they know how to get a good old bacon sandwich right? but then we noticed that they had two black guys doing the food, maybe they where somalian, cheep labour i suppose:dontknow:,

Leam_Lin
29-07-2013, 19:31
Cosy Cafe maybe.

rosemary
29-07-2013, 19:33
It's no good doing it as a half baked project!:D

marbro8
29-07-2013, 19:44
Cosy Cafe maybe.yep thats it;)

Red Devil
29-07-2013, 22:25
I noticed the original poster said a 1940's tea room?

Wondered why you had that in mind particularly, we have been to the cafe on Carnforth rail station quite a few times, where the scenes from Brief Encounter were filmed and I love how the cafe there is fitted out, lots of wood, old fashioned counter etc and lovely atmosphere.

I like your idea but would suggest, if you do go ahead and find premises that you think may be suitable, to run it past a few forum members again before agreeing anything.

Location is very important and unless you live in Tenerife there may easily be something about an area that you dont know about by just visiting for a week or so.

discreet lady
30-07-2013, 11:38
thankyou and we will being doing it properly just like at home clotted cream and English chedder cheese.we are calling it memories,

- - - - - - - - - - merged double post - - - - - - - - - -

you can get it we have a friend who as a bar in los christions who as done a large amount of homework for us its just finding the right location thanks for reply though

golf birdie
30-07-2013, 11:42
anyone who offers a good product with good service at a good price will be OK. It is amazing how many get these wrong.

discreet lady
30-07-2013, 11:45
Is the Lakeland cafe in Los Cristianos still going ? Not been there for ages but it was always popular & seemed to be a mirror image of what these people are thinking of doing.

we know how to do the great food the wife does all her own cakes scones etc etc and sandwiches well wait and see lol thanks for the reply though

- - - - - - - - - - merged double post - - - - - - - - - -

thankyou and yes you are right a lot of research to be done,our friend who as lived out there for 14 years is helping us doing research,and it will be a English tea room with a big difference thankyou for your reply taken on board thanks

rosemary
30-07-2013, 12:12
I noticed the original poster said a 1940's tea room?

Wondered why you had that in mind particularly, we have been to the cafe on Carnforth rail station quite a few times, where the scenes from Brief Encounter were filmed and I love how the cafe there is fitted out, lots of wood, old fashioned counter etc and lovely atmosphere.

I like your idea but would suggest, if you do go ahead and find premises that you think may be suitable, to run it past a few forum members again before agreeing anything.

Location is very important and unless you live in Tenerife there may easily be something about an area that you dont know about by just visiting for a week or so.

I can't help saying that though the old café in Brief Encounter may have had atmosphere (??!!)
it had lousy sandwiches! Most railway caffs did as I remember them!:D. Happy Days.

Redips
30-07-2013, 13:03
I think you will do very well, you have the right attitude, just don't deviate from your dream an work hard, I wish you all the very best of luck and I look forward to tea and cake in the near future.

discreet lady
30-07-2013, 14:17
thankyou and you will be most welcome,its just we need a lot more info about costs etc etc

essexeddie
30-07-2013, 18:02
How about a Pie and Mash with jellied eels café?

.

rosemary
30-07-2013, 18:06
How about a Pie and Mash with jellied eels café?

.

How about it? It belongs to Sarfend sir! Leave the jellied eels where they belong. Please.

essexeddie
30-07-2013, 18:44
Don't know what yer missing lol

Scoobee
30-07-2013, 18:50
Give it a good go, I still beleive that they need a good bakers here making fancy cakes, and if your fae North East Scotland, we need good buttries

marbro8
31-07-2013, 17:02
Give it a good go, I still beleive that they need a good bakers here making fancy cakes, and if your fae North East Scotland, we need good buttriesthere is a couple, just past the church in los cris on the right, and in the apollo centre;)

Angusjim
31-07-2013, 17:35
Give it a good go, I still beleive that they need a good bakers here making fancy cakes, and if your fae North East Scotland, we need good buttries

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/aberdeenbutteriesrow_92370 yae cannae beat a guid rowie:yum:

primrose
31-07-2013, 18:50
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/aberdeenbutteriesrow_92370 yae cannae beat a guid rowie:yum:

Do you mean a Jam Butt.rolleyes2:

stuart
06-10-2013, 21:28
Harriet's tea room has opened a second tea room in playa fanabe, and is always busy, real homemade cakes and lovely teas