For
decades, the 11 cafes in Madrid's Retiro park have been family-run
establishments, originally set up in the late 19th century as franchises to
employees of the royal household. They started out selling lemonade and sugared
anise.
But
in November 2011 the owners of four of the quioscos, or chiringuitos, as they
are called in Spanish, were told by Madrid City Hall that with the end of their
10-year concessions in December the previous year, their rent would be taking
an almost 600-percent hike from around 10,000 euros to 45,000 euros a year.
The
owners appealed against the decision but the courts have ruled in favor of City
Hall.
Last month the first of the four pulled down its shutters for the final
time and is now awaiting a new owner.
"Do
you see that lady there, next to the quiosco? That is my great
grandmother," says Pablo Jimeno, pointing to a black-and-white photograph
from the early 20th century.
He
is the last of his family to run one of the emblematic green-painted
establishments that mostly ring Retiro's boating lake, attracting customers to
its outdoor tables throughout the year. "It's the end of an era,"
Jimeno says, as he tries to fight back the tears welling up in his eyes. With
him were the owners of other quioscos, who will also soon be handing over their
businesses.
In
another quiosco, municipal workers who had come to collect the keys found that
the owners were not there. "He's an old man, aged 72, and has been very
badly affected by the decision," says Ana Corchero, the spokeswoman for
the organization that represents quiosco owners in the city's parks.
The
workers decided to drill out the locks, and placed padlocks on the shutter
before leaving.
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| A municipal workman breaks the lock to the door of a quiosco before padlocking it shut |
Almudena
Peña, another owner, explained that she had grown up in the park. "My
cradle was an old ice refrigerator. My great-grandfather set up here in the
19th century." She too will soon be leaving.
Dionisio
Ruiz, who works in another quiosco nearby, said that he had been in the park
for 34 years. "Where are we supposed to go now? What are we supposed to
do?" he asks.
The
quiosqueros say that the new rent is not only abusive, but that it will be
impossible to pay while still making a living. "How can we make that kind
of money when all we serve is potato chips, beer and soft drinks?" asks
Ana Corchero.
Municipal
regulations forbid the quiosco owners from serving hot food. They are not even
allowed to make sandwiches and rolls on the premises but must bring them in
pre-prepared.
Pablo
Jimeno says that only large companies that already run other franchises could
afford to pay the rent that City Hall is demanding. "Some of the bids that
have been put in talk about employing 18 waiters," he says.
Most
establishments manage to get by with one or two waiters at present. City Hall
explains that it is giving priority to offers that will employ the maximum
number of people, as well as to those that are prepared to improve the
premises.
However,
given that the quioscos are listed buildings, the new franchise owners will
have little margin to add their own stamp.
City
Hall says that it cannot reveal the names of bidders for the new concessions
until May. It also explained that the rent increase is as high as it is because
the previous figure was based on estimates of the value of the land taken in
1988.
City
Hall said in a press release that the quiosco owners were out of touch, and
expected to be given preferential treatment because of their historic links to
the park.
"The Retiro is one of the finest parks in the world, so we want
to have the finest quioscos," it read.
