I am 25 years old and tired of the corporate rat race?!? I was in Madrid earlier this year and liked it a lot. My questions to everyone are: has anybody thought of starting a business in Spain? Would the legal hurdles be easier to cross? I personally feel a regional American-themed restaurant would work in Madrid as foerign cuisine hasn't quite caught on yet. If anyone has any other ideas, I would definitely like to hear them. Thanks

Yankee! An "American Themed restaurant in Spain"???!!!! Bite your tongue right off! As if Spain hasn't become "American-ized" enough!!!" There's a chain-restaurant called "Tony Roma's" in Madrid and they're popular for ribs and french fries and are an American-themed (and owned) restaurant. Yes, sadly, they're popular.

("American-ized = homogenized = tortilla-patata-in-a-can = SCARY!)

How 'bout a Mexican restaurant instead? The few they have in Spain are quite popular.

Saludos, MadridMan

TORTILLA-DE-PATATA-IN-A-CAN?????? Please Madridman tell me that you are kidding! Tortilla de patata is the easiest Spanish meal to make in the world. I'll give the recipe and instructions to everyone that request it.

Yes, I'm kidding. hehehe.. I was just joking about how things MIGHT become if one was to start up yet another "American" business (like a Dunkin' Donuts that they ALREADY have in Madrid. ARGH!!) in Spain could bring about the downfall of the Spanish culture that we all know and love. That before you know it, they'll be selling tortilla patata (aka tortilla de patata, aka tortilla española) in a can to make life simpler as we require it to be here in the USA. And then(!), the next thing would be to have home delivery of something as sacred as PAELLA!!! Oh wait... they already have that... It's called Tele-Paella. ARGH!!! THE BEGINNING OF THE END IS UPON US!!! Isn't it bad enough that the fashion in Spain is to call their newborn children names like Kevin, Joshua, and Kathy, or the names of popular US teleivsion programs which are shown in Spain? In the coming years, the next minister of foreign affairs for Spain might be called Dillon Martín, Brandon Lopez , or .... Doogie de la Cruz!

Hmmm.. Now I realize, the day I created the new forum "General Chatter", that this rant should have gone there. hehehe. Oh well.

Saludos, MadridMan

i like your idea, MM, <<"Lata-de-Patata," comida casera!>>

Yankee, your idea is not out of the realm of reality, but unless you are talking about gourmet-style american food, i wouldn't try it just yet... funding is really important for spain, more so than here in the states!! everything just costs more... especially in a more socialistic environment..(EEC standards).

Real_megia, do we have "Gourmet" "American" food???? Gee, I didn't know it existed. How can you make steaks and baked potatoes into a gourmet meal?? hehehee..

Tele-paella??? Next thing you know they'll have paella you make from a box!

Lata de patata was pretty good! I wouldn't start any food-oriented biz in Madrid, for sure. Ask the folk who work 19 hr days... and the gringo ones that succeed are chains, with all the chain-backing. Why not start the ex-pats cybercafe near the Complutense? It would give espanyoles and americanos/brits a place to meet, have a beer, etc. You could sell magazines in English, stuff like that. Just a thought. Probably lame!

Hardy har har, Brian. hehee.. Paella in a box. Impossible (MadridMan says sheepishly hiding his paella-in-a-box mix)!

Lata-de-patata WAS pretty darn good. And yes, I've seen those teens on their motor scooters/mopeds zooming through the Madrid city traffic, box on back, and the Tele-Paella logo ON THAT box carrying the delivered paella. Actually, I've heard it's not bad at all. I think this is from the same company that brought about Tele-Pizza; same kids on mopeds delievering pizza to your door. By the way, they purposely remove the mufflers on those things so they WHINE down the streets and make your ears cringe.

rgf, I like your idea better. Make a "space" where expats can gather and speak American. hehehehehe.. (I'm sure you can all believe how many emails I get asking if a person going to Madrid will have trouble finding people who "speak American")

Saludos, MadridMan (listening to CanalSur , internet radio from Sevilla)

Hi Yankee!

Here's some history on American restaurants in Madrid.

Whe I first moved there in '83 you couldn't get pizza anywhere in the city. Eventually they opened a Pizza Hut, but it didn't taste the same as in the US, and it wasn't too popular. (They have since improved enormously and are doing better.)

Then, an American opened a pizzeria on c/ Orense - Pizza King, or Queen (I could never keep them straight). It became a wildly popular chain, and started all the others. I met the guy - very nice - after he'd made his fortune and sold the business. He went into another restaurant venture in Madrid, but did not have the same success.

A couple of restaurants called Foster's Hollywood opened. They called their menu American. Hamburgers, cole slaw, Reuben sandwiches, some Mexican... As an American planning on spending my life in Spain, I went out of curiousity. It was AWFUL. I went again a few months later, thinking it must have been a bad day, and it was still AWFUL. No one could stand it. It went out of business.

Then the chains came. Tony Roma's, TGIFridays, Hard Rock Cafe joined McD's, Wendy's, Burger King. They're doing well. Why? I think it's because they follow a formula to the letter. Those ribs at Tony Roma's are out of this world!!! They import the meat, and follow their recipes. The meals at Fridays are the same as in the US, and they are good. (I refuse to go into the Hard Rock Cafe, so no comment there!) Unless you have a proven formula, it won't work. Spanish food is SO GOOD (the BEST in the world), you have to have something that is REALLY good to win their approval.

By the way, this holds true about food from any country outside of Spain. Last year I went to an Australian restaurant outside Madrid. All the food was dreadful, and we ordered a variety of dishes. The waiter was very nice, but it was obvious that they didn't know what to do in the kitchen.