Avoid Pura Vida restaurant in West End!

[magnetic]

Just got back from Roatan, where I was diving with Coconut Tree; with Undefined, Bay Island Diver, ScubaGeek and heaps of other interesting folks.

I will say this; there are tourist places where you will certainly be spending far more money than is reasonable for the quality. Yet if you _follow_ the advice the local dive master instructors like Will and Scubageek, you will find yourself eating better and spening less money.

I'll be posting this later, in greater detail; but if you want a great dive op with a broad spectrum of experience, run by owners that are far more interested in their customers than their pocketbooks than get on down to Coconut Tree.

Look for an extensive trip report detailing where to buy what especially for food and drinks.

P.s. Will - your curried prawn soup was amoung the best things I tasted on the Island, thanks a bunch.

 

[undefined]

magnetic,

We need to be in Roatan at the same time again! Sara makes a spaghetti scampi that is insanely good (she worked at an Italian deli many moons ago). My cooking is far more pedestrian and unimaginative than what everyone else made - a good steak or goulash - pretty much anything German or American (South).

I started a thread a while back on "Dining in West End" - perhaps you and/or Roger could offer some updated insights into places to eat and where to buy quality ingredients....

 

[magnetic]

I am seriously considering going for Christmas week I have been working some figures and seriously looking at opening a restaurant in West End. Though the margins are looking to be fairly low without giving 24/7 effort, which is really not why I would move to the island in the first place. Either way, I want to dive the other side of the island a bit, and see what the island is like out of season, that will really help me get figure out the bottom line, and if I could actually support myself in the first couple of years.

When are you and Sarah going back?

 

[rleslie]

Why don't you consider West Bay? West Bay has no good restaurants and you can charge 50% more. Also, the clientele is more upscale in W.B. Fewer divers looking for the cheapest meal possible.

 

[magnetic]

You make an excellent point Robert, my overall experience in West Bay left me wishing I had stayed in my room. If I were going to really do a special place that was catering to an upscale crowd I would seriously consider west bay. Sadly I do not have, nor do I expect to have in the near future the kind of investment capital I would need to open a proper restaurant in West Bay.

I will have somewhere along the lines of 50k to start, so that would be about 25k setup, 25k operating expenses for the first 6 months. That means a relatively small space. Did you happen to see an Ideal location for a place in West bay?

The real trick is going to be finding someone that I can trust to not rob me blind or ruin my repution if I take a day off to go sailing, diving, sleep in etc...

The bottom line in the West End does look a little gruesome for restaurants that are not targeting the yahoo cruise ship crowd, but the fealing and people appeal to me quite a bit. If I were to convince some of my more affluent friends to invest though I would likely have to target the west bay crowd to fill a swank space.

I would like to talk to you some time about your experience over on West Bay. Does Ericka have your Email?

 

[undefined]

Bryce,

The idea of you opening a restaurant in West End makes me crazy hungry! If everything else you cook is one third as delicious as that soup I'd eat at your place each night we are there!

As for locations - there is a spot that Sara and I were discussing restaurant potential for - right above the Coconut Tree grocer (next to the dive shop). Did you go up there? It has a huge deck that could seat 10 - 12 tables easy and a commanding view of Half Moon Bay. It used to be a restaurant, but not a very classy place from what I gather - more of a burger and fries sort.

Personally, I would not open a place in West Bay. The reasoning is simple - most/many folks that stay in West Bay come to West End to eat. Cruise ships drop people off at both spots, so that's a bit of a wash, yet divers don't generally stay at West Bay. Furthermore, West Bay has larger resorts that often include their own restaurant facilities, as compared to West End where everyone roams around and finds their own choice places to eat.

As for food - you met the person to talk to, from my understanding, for quality ingredients in Roatan at Steve's get together...

 

[magnetic]

Yeah, Nick, he actually has a restaurant space for rent, but location, startup and monthly cost make it very hard to see a place that can make the bottom line in the first year or two without truely heroic effort and luck. I did see the space above Coconut Tree and totally agree that is 'the' spot. Great layout, but I would have to sink a good 30k into that space to make it servicable. That said I am definitely drawn to West End. The cusine that I am looking at doing is a slightly "roatanization" of French and Indonesian/Malasian Cusine.

My thinking is simple:

A serious menu 5 days a week and a simple menu, with soups and prepared dished, that need only be warmed for service or put together like salad for my 2 days off.

That way I am always open, yet don't have to fear diminished quality when I am not there since I cooked the food that is being served.

Perhaps I could get some of those DMiT types to fill in some gaps in the service and kitchen!

Guh logistically its a tough cookie, but it has the potential to be a heck of a lot of fun.

 

[rleslie]

Bryce,
...... most/many folks that stay in West Bay come to West End to eat.

That's because there are NO good restaurants in West Bay....they need one.

Strictly from a business point of view, I wonder if anyone can make money off of divers. We do tend to be a cheap lot!!!!

 

[undefined]

Strictly from a business point of view, I wonder if anyone can make money off of divers. We do tend to be a cheap lot!!!!

Please tell me you are joking! After spending over $2k on training, over to $4k on equipment, three trips to Roatan, a handful of quarry trips, and countless hours in the past year alone... I'm not feeling all that cheap when it comes to being a diver! In fact, after quickly going through my "dive expenses" (including trips) I'm convinced that drug addiction would be a cheaper hobby!

I'm addicted to bubbles!

 

[undefined]

Magnetic,

The key to Roatan is to find a way to support both the tourists and the instructors/divemasters. If you could combine a full featured dinner service aimed at tourists and those out on a "special" occasion with a light and affordable lunch service that attracts the locals, you'll have it made. Word of mouth is king in West End, and many of the restaurants shoot themselves in the foot by only marketing to the visitor when it's the divemaster and instructor that are giving recommendations (if they can't afford to eat there, they won't recommend it).

As for the space above Coconut Tree - you should contact Mr. Bush (owner) to see if he is interested in working something out. He's a rather prominent and important figure in Roatan, and I'm sure that if you have the skills and capital to make the place profitable he would be interested to hear about it and perhaps offer some concessions to make it feasible. Perhaps another "exploratory" trip to Roatan is in order...

That is definitely a nice spot. The views are wonderful, and with some TLC the facility could be brought up to par. Being right next to the busiest dive shop in West End would be quite beneficial in attracting both foot traffic and divers who are diving with Coconut Tree or the other nearby shops. It is also the corner where the cruise ship buses let off the lemmings - the perfect spot to attract day trippers. You'd also be able to give those who are staying in West End an alternative to consider when making the hike to Argentinian Grill.