Altogether José takes care of 300 customers in 3 contiguous districts in Lisbon. He not only knows their names and what they prefer to serve their guests – he also knows their needs and fears, their wishes and dreams. After all, before joining MAKRO Portugal, José was in the business too as owner of 2 restaurants. He knows what having to generate half of one’s annual revenues during the summer months means. He is aware that his customers get little or no sleep during that period.
The Portuguese restaurant founder needs connections
Lisbon is a booming tourist destination. The city records about 6 million visitors per year – and the figure keeps climbing. Many of the restaurateurs in Bairro Alto have specialised in tourists. To cover their expenses – and earn some money, too – they must charge prices only tourists can afford. The average annual gross income in Portugal is slightly above €23,000 – by comparison, in Germany it is €45,000. ‘Here in Lisbon, rent for a restaurant with 100 seats can be as much as €15,000 a month. To secure work processes and make sure his customers get good service, a restaurateur needs a staff of 20. Their wages, the rent, insurances, monthly safety and hygiene audits and, of course, taxes – all of this must be deducted from his revenues,’ José explains. Before a restaurant can open to begin with, the Portuguese restaurant founder needs one thing more than anything else: connections. ‘Connections have always been important in Portugal,’ the 50-year-old knows.