Every so often, I fancy running my own restaurant.
Today, I am thinking about a boutique seafood restaurant, to be called "Prawn Star".
@neil I've also had this fantasy! I actually tried to take over an old cafe here in Vienna when the owner retired. It was a fabulously shabby place full of hundreds of board games, young and old guests, musicians playing informal sessions in the back room, and little billards and more. Unfortuntely, it didn't work out.
@neil I think that's definitely true in places where the real estate is not really regulated. In Vienna, its possible to get an unlimited lease that is pegged to inflation. That makes it a lot easier for small restaurants and cafes to survive. In NYC, I saw what you describe again and again: a few individuals renovate really rundown and empty places. The commercial street takes off again, then 10 years later, those small owners are put out of business by a 5x or 10x rent increase.
@eighthave Yes, I am sure that local / national government policy could have a big impact on this.
@eighthave Someone once said to me that the best way to become a millionaire is to be a billionaire and run a restaurant/pub for a couple of years...
But it *sounds* fun!