Live the Nightmare: Broke & Stuck in BA!

[MCSE]

TL: Yes, dealing with the employees it's one of the hardest things to deal with in BA and perhaps Argentina. My former business partner (he unfortunally passed away in the times of the crisis) developed a sys that consisted into delegating most of the power to a "controller", the controller was a real beetch against the employees, and they hated her. It's quite similar to the old "good-cop and bad-cop" strategy. No matter what you do in your business, if sushi, mexican, parrilla or paella, I wish you the best luck on it and I hope seeing you soon. By the way: have you considered starting a website with some extra info and appealing pictures?

[TejanoLibre]

California Burrito Company dies at 4:00 p. M due to it's location.

Again, location and or product is not the problem for my place.

The worst problems that I have are the cocksucker, motherfucker employees!

That and the goddamn people that want to be payed-off to go away for a while!

Yes, I would love to buy a frozen margarita machine and have Tequila Shiela selling cold beers out of a bathtub on Cordoba. Wearing Daisy Dukes!

Dinner and a movie upstairs or just lounge around with a few girls and be low key. Very private.

To be continued. I hope!

No partner and no cash makes Johnny a very angry boy! Heads will roll!

THE MOTHERFUCKERS!

Goddamn Argentines are just plain thieves! It's the goddamn WOP blood mixed in with the fucking S$%&" from Spain!

Have Fun and come by while you can!

TL

[TejanoLibre]

I would love to thank everyone for all of their wonderful advice, but.

1. Location: is not a problem in any way. Palermo resto-bars are open at night only! They should not even bother during the day. Small percentage of tourist also. Zero working girls also. So not my plan originally. (MCSE)

2. I am downtown because I want the daytime business from the executives that work downtown and the night-time business from the tourist that float around. 3 blocks from the obelisco and the best rent in all of downtown!

About (55) hotels within walking distance so no problems there.

3. There are zero MEXICAN restaurants that are worth a shit in this place. ZERO! Not sure where that came from but I always have off the menu items. Some are Tex-Mex though.

4. Launching American breakfast is in the works soon!

5. Upsatairs lounge after hours is coming soon too.

6. The PUTAS need to get off the street now!

7. Dickhead - I was not offering you a job. I would accept your knowledge and money so we can partner up if your bored and lonely!

Take over and fire everybody!

8. Argento - The old woman may change prices as she sees fit but I am the owner so please let me know if there is a problem. Prices have gone up all over town boys. Wines have also increased.

9. Too many employees? Some are girlfriends, some are providers, some work for tips only as I no longer pay them!

10. FUCK; help me before I kill them all!

Thanks Boys,

Ramiro.

P. S - If we build it they will come! Let's create a mini X. NOW! Pocket change boys. And a place to hang out.

P.S.S - I never sell drugs ! I always give them away or exchange them for sexual favoRS!

[Daddy Rulz]

Argentines hate spicy food, even more, they don't tolerate it. May be it's not the best, but the bigger and with best 'image' Mexican restaurant is Maria Felix in Soho. All good Mex restaurants must be located in Palermo, and they may have a branch in another location.

In general I would agree with you and the lack of pepper shakers on ANY restaurant table proves your point. Of the 4 Mexican places I know 2 are in Palermo. There is one in Belgrano on Cabildo, and one in Recoletta on Rodriguiz Pena. The two outside of Palermo have been busier in my opinion. There is a market for spicy food, with 20 million people in GBA there is a market for everything, as a matter of fact that hottest dish I have ever eaten in my life was in BsAs. However if I was doing the menu I would concentrate on savory and offer spicy as an alternative. I think killer tortillas alone would keep people coming, nice fluffy Texas style tortillas.

I think the nitch though is the Crazy Texmex guy in BsAs, cowboy hats, daisy dukes, beer cooled in galvanized tubs, chicken fried steak, and above all else FROZEN RITAS made with grain alcohol and floaters for flavor.

[MCSE]

If you buy a computer brought from the EEUU you buy it without a warranty. None of the majors will service a computer in BsAs that was bought in the states. It blows but that leaves out selling to stores in volume

In addition, the keyboard is different in spanish speaking countries the keyboard includes the ñ.

That makes the service immediately recognizes it, and they have this policy of overcharging the english-keyboard computers for any service, at least sony does it, as they say they need to especially import the parts. Of course, you are not aware about that until you have a problem.

[MCSE]

Argentines hate spicy food, even more, they don't tolerate it. May be it's not the best, but the bigger and with best 'image' Mexican restaurant is Maria Felix in Soho. All good Mex restaurants must be located in Palermo, and they may have a branch in another location. Same thing about sushi, thai, etc. (we could name it 'imported food')

Of course there are a couple of exceptions, like Burrito Taco Company, however, they have an excellent location.

There are a lot of examples of franchises that failed in BA: Pizza Hut, Wendy's, Taco Bell (not sure if they even tryed) it seems argentine market it's not very open-minded when talking about food, Mc Donald's strategies are just awesome they sale stuff only for the AR market. "Mac Mila" was a product launched some time before 1999 and was nothing but the popular argentine 'sanwich de milanesa'.

A special point about MC Donald's is they arrived to Argentina as an 'elite' restaurant, for the stylished and trendy people who were capable to stay in the line posing as if they were at a club waiting to enter.

The other problem it's the location, that location works more for office workers, does not appeals to a local wealthy crowd, like palermo, does not appeals to after-office mating (that's reconquista) does not appeals to tourists (that's san telmo in plaza dorrego, and puerto madero D2 to 4, or recoleta close to the cementery, but never in the back, never over pueyrredon, said apart, I would never feel confortable eating my dinner separated by a wall only from the cementery, and I'm not a thriller-movie-fanatic but that's another story)

La Esquina de las flores it's just a few blocks away from L'alliance, they specialize in organic food, it's famous and always crowded by good looking secretaries and office workers who want to maintain they good shape, so their bosses keep on fucking them.

[Dickhead]

You can get pinto beans here, although maybe getting them in bulk might be a problem. I just recently made chili con carne with 50/50 pintos and black beans. It was killer. The funny thing was when I was cooking the meat with the peppers. I had not added any liquid so it was highly concentrated. An Argentinean chica snuck a taste without asking, while I was out of the kitchen, without having any idea what it was. Let's just say she learned her lesson. She knew nothing of the Scovile scale but now she does.

"Dickhead, do you need any help in the kitchen?" "You want to help me cook, the best thing to do is GET THE FUCK OUT." And never taste without asking. That's why I have this big knife in my hand.

[Daddy Rulz]

Another possibility is sorta a back door approch. Cut a wholesale deal with a computer store on used and refurbished products making only a couple hunderd bucks a piece on the units. A computer store is going to have the trafic to creat some volume which would make it worth while. Finding a "Corrupt" store owner shouldn't be a problem since you'd be selling him way below his cost.

If you buy a computer brought from the EEUU you buy it without a warranty. None of the majors will service a computer in BsAs that was bought in the states. It blows but that leaves out selling to stores in volume.

Something that could work very well though is monitors. You can pick up CRT monitors here in the States way way fucking cheap because everybody wants flat panels. In Austin Goodwill has a used electronic store, they sell 15" CRT's for 5-10 bucks. Because of the size you couldn't really bring them down smuggled but I bet you could fill up half a shipping container and craigslist the shit out of those.

On another note, back to Tejano Libre. I was thinking about this on my drive home from work today. Have you considered that a different marketing approach might work. You're selling a parilla in a city with a million fucking parillas. I know of three different Mexican places, and they are all packed. It wouldn't take too much to regear, what about "Loco Romero's Tejano Cantina?" No it's not a joke, tex mex food and frozen ritas. Call somebody's Grandma back in Texas and get a good tortilla recipe, Dickhead makes a killer Green Chile salsa, fajitas are so fucking easy a monkey could make them, enchiladas as well. Replace the bar stools with saddles and tractor seats. Play country and Tejano music and spread some sawdust on the floor, some Pancho Villa posters and you're there. Pinto beans would be a problem but you can buy all the peppers you would ever need from the Bolivian ladies by Abasto shopping.

[Exon123]

Talk to Aqualung and combine sex with hunting and fishing. Your marks, I mean clients, would come to the city, fuck like bunnies for a few days, then head to the country, kill Bambi's or Nemo's mom, then back to the city for more action. Then off home with lots of photos for the wife of them hip deep in some stream fly fishing.

Exxon I'm telling you unloading those computers unless you have a buyer isn't as easy as you think. What would work better than Craigslist or Mercadolibre, would be paying commish to chicas it would be a sideline but not a living. Just because it's listed doesn't mean it sells. I've taken laptops and cameras down oh I don't know maybe 20 times. It's about 50/50 sometimes they sell quickly and other times very slowly, and regardless of what you price them at leave room for a deeper discount to close the deal.

Point well taken Daddy,

I've always tried to use my strengh's against pockets of weakness in the market place. TejanoLibre has some very good strong points, he's made a lot of friends on this forum and he speaks the language.

Assumeing, TejanoLibre has a steady sourse of "Mules", Mongers & Airline piliots coming into town I still like the Lap Top and Camera type thing. The Argentina government has simply left to much money on the table with their taxing policy's. Plus we know the demand is there.

Yes, your going to sell a few computers or what ever on the internet, but yes your right the volume might be enough.

Another possibility is sorta a back door approch. Cut a wholesale deal with a computer store on used and refurbished products making only a couple hunderd bucks a piece on the units. A computer store is going to have the trafic to creat some volume which would make it worth while. Finding a "Corrupt" store owner shouldn't be a problem since you'd be selling him way below his cost.

Also I've found a great demand for "Flat Screen Monitors", which is something to think about, easly packed between cloths in a Monger's suit case.

Just some thoughts.

Exon

[El Perro]

I have always thought that if someone wanted to invest the time, and the risk, an English speaking privado owner with cute girls would make quite a killing.

IMHO, a very good idea, though in T Libre's situation, even better as a completely bilingual privado. I can see the seed money rolling in right now from certain deep pocket gringos. A good idea on the face of it, made even better by the increasing complaints about rocketing prices at Madahos, Blacks, etc. In addition, you could branch off some sex / non sex tourism business as well, using the privado as a feeder source. Maybe even complementary doobies or a backroom hookah set up / wet bar. I imagine you would have to regularly grease the local gendarmes, but no surprise there.

[Argento]

First things first. I am sorry that it has failed, both for you and for us. Somewhere along the way, the numbers didn't add up. Since food is about the only bullet proof business here, there must have been basic flaws in the way the business was planned and the way the business was run.

Price of the meals couldn't have been the problem as they were well up with and in most cases, past that of equivalent size and style of restaurant.

Volumne. Sure. Nowhere near enough customers.

Staffing. Overstaffed to hell.

Staff atitude. The ex-proprieter, manning the caja, tried to rip me off 3 times with overcharging. If she was doing it to the clients, you may depend she was doing it to you. I was there one night and she tried it on with 3 of us, and at the same time. Totally unrepentant. Doesn't give you a warm, cosy, come back soon feeling. And with-out shame which is more to the point. Goodness knows what stunts she used on tourists that didn't speak Castellano and were naive to the ways of this city. Plenty I guess.

So Ramiro, that's my observations as a client. Since you won't come out of this with dinero, you will have to work on wages, save, analyse this failure and make sure you don't repeat the mistakes the next time round.

And remember that old Spanish saying. The cow that the farmer watches, is the cow that gets the fattest.

Cuidado.

Argento

[Member #3319]

Well, while I am not going to advocate selling drugs, I would mention that there is always a hefty amount of foreign students coming through the U of Belgrano and UBA who are used to normal pot, and can't stand smoking that horrible stuff they have around here. Selling exclusively to foreigners would, I believe, also reduce your risk of trouble.

I would also think that something along the lines of what has been mentioned many times; taking advantage of the "I don't speak any Spanish" crowd. I have always thought that if someone wanted to invest the time, and the risk, an English speaking privado owner with cute girls would make quite a killing.

Or serve breakfast. Your proximity to the tons of tourists wondering around would seem to be ample ground for a place that serves something mildly resembling an American breakfast. I think that is a pretty niche market that could provide a different customer base.

Or you could always make some cheap audio English lessons and sell those. Something like "English for Hookers." I think it's a pretty catchy title.

[Daddy Rulz]

Talk to Aqualung and combine sex with hunting and fishing. Your marks, I mean clients, would come to the city, fuck like bunnies for a few days, then head to the country, kill Bambi's or Nemo's mom, then back to the city for more action. Then off home with lots of photos for the wife of them hip deep in some stream fly fishing.

Exxon I'm telling you unloading those computers unless you have a buyer isn't as easy as you think. What would work better than Craigslist or Mercadolibre, would be paying commish to chicas it would be a sideline but not a living. Just because it's listed doesn't mean it sells. I've taken laptops and cameras down oh I don't know maybe 20 times. It's about 50/50 sometimes they sell quickly and other times very slowly, and regardless of what you price them at leave room for a deeper discount to close the deal.

[Jackson]

I agree with Rock Harders's suggestion, although setting them up in a great apartment would be a classier way to go.

http://www.argentinaconexion.com/

Hint, hint.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Kleinberg]

You might look at buying and selling used restaurant equipment and fixtures.

There are always businesses going under that will sell entire contents cheaply. It is all about buying riight and having a place to store it cheaply until you find buyers.

These inventories should be easy to sell as nearly every porteno seems to have a dream of running a restaurant.

About that it seems that there is some competition (exedra) jajaja