Day 176, 177, 178 &179!

As you can probably tell from my lack of appearance on here for the last few days, things have been pretty quiet. The roadworks continue and that means no customers.... It seems that one day the workmen dig a hole, and the next day they fill it in! Two days later, they dig it up again, and then fill it in... On Tuesday they laid concrete in front of the Cafe, and today they dug it up, only to concrete again this afternoon! Also, a concrete base for a lamppost has been erected RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR FRONT DOOR. We have a large awning, that when unraveled, will be touching it! Where do these idiots think we are going to put our chairs and tables? The people who plan all these 'improvements' cannot seriously give a damn about the effect it will have on the local businesses, or they simply wouldn't do this to us. I have done some calculations and discovered that so far, in the 3 and a bit weeks that this has been going on, we have lost approximately 1500€. How much longer is this going to continue? Who knows. We asked the work men yesterday, and even they didin't know! The problem is , that in under 4 weeks from now, The Moors & Christians' parade will be trundling down the street. It is the biggest fiesta of the year, and the money we take on that night alone, helps us through the quiet winter months. The fiesta will only take place if the works are finished... What's worrying is the fact that it has taken them over 3 weeks already, and they haven't even started work on the opposite pavement yet. Absolute shambles... Here are some pictures of the 'work'...

Here's where the lamppost is going...

They've dug another hole!

The base for the lamppost...

The base is setting! (Right outside the door!)

So, there you have it... The main reason for our lack of customers in the downstairs cafe. Fortunately, the restaurant does not have the same problem! We are ticking along nicely, and getting fuller and fuller as the locals return from their summer exodus! Fridays and Sundays are especially busy, and the 'all you can eat' is proving to be one of my better ideas! I would still rather that people would order off the menu, as I want them to taste, and know what my food is all about, but I have resigned myself to the fact that it will always be about 80-20 in favour of pigging out! I didn't change the set menu much from last week, as I am trying to keep a couple of dishes on, to find out their popularity. Out of the 17 that dined tonight, only 2 had the menu, so I didn't find out too much! I do know that 1 had the tomato, rocket, red onion and Parmesan salad followed by confit of duck leg, and the other chose char grilled veg and then chicken with lentils. They both thoroughly enjoyed. At least that's what they told me! I am trying more and more to pop into the dining area and mingle a little with the customers, to try and get a little feedback. So far, all the comments I have received have been very positive. Maybe they just don't have the balls to tell me if they're not happy with something! Here's tonight's set menu for you to peruse...

Well, that's it for now. I'll keep you all abreast of things as and when they happen

Nite nite all

Jimbo