[bjacogaerllyo]

All I know is it sounds like if I want to get a fast food fix I'd better go have at it now while I can.

[Qahtwugc]

"AZB, just out of curiosity as I haven't myself been able to get back to Santiago in five or six months, what's the main problem with PV, KFC, etc. No customers because the food is priced too high now? High rents? High taxes? Increased electricity, water, employee, raw product costs? Probably all of the above. Are the restaurants pretty much empty then?" XanaduRanch

The answer is : All of the above.

If you go at certain times of the day ex: lunch time and at around 6pm - 9pm, you will see a number of people eating at the fast food locations in santiago but these numbers are deciving. The number of people eating fast food has decreased because the prices have increased but not only for food, on everything else so eating fast food has become a luxury. The fast food companies have raised their prices but not so much to keep up with the peso devaluation. Their profit margin has been eaten away by the high food / material costs and the high electric bill. If you have Airconditioning at the premises then you will pay very high electric bill. The peso has devaluated more than 100% but you can't raise the prices proportionally because people just won't pay. ex: if a food combo (with coke and fries) was 75 pesos then you can't simply jack up the prices to 150 pesos over night. People won't pay, so the prices have been adjusted to 95 pesos etc. Now I am talking about santiago, I was in santo Domingo this weekend and I saw people spend far more money than santiagueros. Seems like SD is the place to be if you want to invest in any restaurant business. Santiago is simply dead.
I am seeing far less patients than before and simply making ends meet. I would like to move to Santo domingo but it scares me to make a move in times like this. Santo domingo has the night life and the money if you compare it to santiago.

[bjacogaerllyo]

Originally posted by Marc
I believe the red text was "Last Edited by Rob"...

m LOL! Mea culpa! After GC's little PM to me I was a bit blinded by the rage!

So, then, THANK YOU Robert!

I think I'll go have a glass of wine and some pizza and watch the girls go by now. At least then only my wife will yell at me. But she has dibs!

Tom

[Ingeborga]

...a "Pain-In-The-Ass"! That way you could generate more business for yourself!!!!!

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCccccccccc!!!

[Ingeborga]

I stand by my prediction that "Pollos Victorina" will stand!! THe "Barcelo" family has deep resources!

As for "Pollos Fritos Kentucky",they have an ad in the "dailies" today recruiting "White Collar" employees.Sound like they are going anywhere?


"The DR will raise again!"

Cris Colon

[Qahtwugc]

I hope you are right Crisco. I am so depressed and dishearted that even I thought about working in Cuba (after seeing the cuban Dewar's promotion girl in Montecristo disco). I would like to stick around and beat the tough times. As long as their is back pain, I will always survive.

[Hpdovoxm]

Originally posted by Criss Colon
....I think that I will come out of this economic problem better than before! Cris Colon Now this is the best thing I read today. Hell Yes! This is the attitude! Reminds me of a quote by the founder of Wallmart - Sam Walton. With some previous recession he said that he heard that there was a recession going on, but he and Walmart decided not to take part! Real gutsy - I love it.

[HitAttetlyTek]

I shall miss the bollitos de yucca con queso they used to sell.

[Imagimifouxum]

Originally posted by GabyCruz
Now can you see guys were am I coming from? Pretty soon we are going belly up, maybe worst than Argentina, or maybe Like Venezuela, now you see why I shout and raise my little voice telling you all LET'S DO SOMETHING ABOU IT! Just because must of you are EXPATS does not means that you dont have a voice an interests in our politics and our economy, so lets use all our power and unite and start something guys : YES WE CAN< UNITED, In good as well as in BADD, VAMO A RESOLVEE! Expats do NOT have a voice. Most expats don't even have a residency status let alone citizenship and a DR Passport.

Escott

[bjacogaerllyo]

Originally posted by goatfarmnga
OK about fast food...Can anyone tell me of the types of fast food I will find on the island? I read there is KFC. What other chains familiar to the US can be found there? Although I prefer local foods and family owned places in the US I am trying to convince my family members to come visit me there..Being a 3rd world country and all they think no one has electricity etc I know maybe I should have a yellow pages but I do not have that as yet.. Pam North coast has just a Pizza Hut and a Burger King (with the worst tasting soft drink's I've ever had for three years running) in Puerto Plata. They were supposed to build a complex like that here in Sosua but the deal fell through a year ago.

Santiago has multiple McDonald's, Burger King's, Pizza Huts, Domino's, Taco Bells, great Chinese delivery places, and some local fast food joints like Pollos Victorina. They had a Church's but that has since closed.

Santo Domingo all of the above plus Long John Silver's and some of the mid-range restaurants in the U.S. like TGIF's. Probably a lot more, but I don't get down there much anymore.

[IssuessBratte]

Sorry maybe did not give Robert the chance to answer! Good info thanks! Pam

[Wetekemieluth]

I believe the red text was "Last Edited by Rob"...

m

[Ingeborga]

Besides,all their food is local,not like some of the "International" fast food places.They should not be affected directly by the fall of the peso!
Some people have jumped abourd the "Doom & Gloom" bandwagon just to have something to post!
There are always opportunities to make money in any economy for people who have good ideas,and want to work hard.Now if you want to open a Bar in Boca Chica,just like every other Bar in Boca Chica,I doubt you will be successful right now!!!
I am a "Contrariaan"!I enjoy being tested.I think that I will come out of this economic problem better than before!

Cris Colon

[squeerisott]

Originally posted by XanaduRanch
Ken, they call that "Fast" Food for an entirely different reason You're right. That is a better way to make the point.

[Imagimifouxum]

Originally posted by Robert
GabyCruz will no longer be participating on DR1.

After sending a number of posters abusive and offensive emails/PM's I had
no choice but to remove her access. Too bad her posts were so insightful. She may be missed.

[Qahtwugc]

As of today, Pollo Victorina hasn't shut down their operations yet. They are in trouble just like the KFC.
Taco bell opened up a new branch in Plaza Internacional this week. Has anyone checked their prices? They are nuts. They are charging an arm and a leg for a tiny taco, fries and a smallest sized coke that they could find. I would need 3 of these combos to fill me up. I bet their days are numbered. They opened up in a spot where 2 previous businesses have gone bankrupt. Not a very good omen to begin with.
Apart from food business, many doctors are suffering as well. The ones most hit the hardest are the surgeons. Many surgeons who performed 12-15 surgeries a month now perform 2-3 if they are lucky.
The laboratory where I send my patient to get their X-rays taken is all empty. This is the same place where my patients had to wait 2 hours in line to get their X-rays taken. Now its as easy as 123. Good for me but bad for them. They are seriously hurting. They had to cut staff and raise prices. But it seems catch 22 because if you raise prices to compensate for the higher material costs then patients don’t come.

Discos are full of guys because no one has the money to take out girls. Now I am accustomed to seeing a fat old guy with a bunch of cute girls in his custody. Apparently he is the man who has got the money to take girls out. All the young Jevitos are left smoking cigarettes in tight short sleeve shirts, blowing smoke in air.

A chocolate store in plaza Internacional used to sell the best swiss chocolates for reasonable prices, now their prices have gone up more than double as compared to their original cost. The sales girl sits all day staring at the wall and people. No customers anymore. Soon there will be a dominions reaction and all will collapse . This is scary yet true and I see it unfold to a new stage everyday (the crisis).

[IssuessBratte]

OK about fast food...Can anyone tell me of the types of fast food I will find on the island? I read there is KFC. What other chains familiar to the US can be found there? Although I prefer local foods and family owned places in the US I am trying to convince my family members to come visit me there..Being a 3rd world country and all they think no one has electricity etc I know maybe I should have a yellow pages but I do not have that as yet.. Pam

[KeestRast]

GabyCruz will no longer be participating on DR1.

After sending a number of posters abusive and offensive emails/PM's I had
no choice but to remove her access.

[squeerisott]

Originally posted by AZB

Apart from food business, many doctors are suffering as well. The ones most hit the hardest are the surgeons. Many surgeons who performed 12-15 surgeries a month now perform 2-3 if they are lucky. The wait for a doctor that I see at Centro Medico Bournigal in Puerto Plata is now much shorter than before. When I asked her about this, she told me that even many patients who have insurance aren't going to the doctor until in really bad shape because they can't afford the medicine they know the doctor will prescribe. Because most medicine is imported, it has gone up considerably in price, just like food, gasoline, and most else.

It really is a bad situation and seems that it will only get worse. Those posters in other threads that are eager for the peso to fall to 40 or more to 1 don't understand what this is doing to the country and its people.

[HitAttetlyTek]

Now I am accustomed to seeing a fat old guy with a bunch of cute girls in his custody. Apparently he is the man who has got the money to take girls out. All the young Jevitos are left smoking cigarettes in tight short sleeve shirts, blowing smoke in air.



Hey, you are the other guy with money in Santiago-- tell the old, fat guy to hit it.