|
Pritpal has spent months finding the
right premises for his new Indian restaurant. He has found
what he believes is the perfect setting in the thriving
commercial centre of Flamenca Beach, a resort near Alicante.
The family have a lump sum of £20,000 and
have applied for an extra £10,000 loan. This needs to cover
all their set-up costs until the business starts to make
money. The restaurant is still being built and it will be five
weeks before it can open. In the meantime the family are
paying 700 euros a month in restaurant rent, 400 euros for car
hire and 660 euros a month for their villa.
work begins
The work starts smoothly. Pritpal has
hired a project manager but is overseeing the work of ex-pat
builders David and Eric himself. The plan is to create a
40-seat restaurant with extra space on the patio outside.
The first stumbling block is finding
schools for Sashkia and Rohan. The family have been told this
will be easy but there are problems. "I went to the town hall
to register the kids for school but there are no school places
left," explains Pritpal. Pritpal and Neelam are forced to
investigate local fee-paying schools instead. School fees will
add an extra 1,400 euros a month to their costs and it's an
expense they haven't budgeted for.
looking for a
loan
To add to their financial worries the
building work is more expensive than expected. Pritpal will
need to use the £10,000 loan he applied for before leaving
Scotland. But when he contacts the building society he
discovers there has been a mix up and they've not received his
application.
The news is disastrous. "I'm the more
pessimistic of the two," admits Neelam, "He's always more
positive. I'm like, 'how are we going to manage?'"
Once the building society receives the
application things get even worse. They turn down Pritpal's
request because of an old bankruptcy against his name.
Desperate to find the extra funding Pritpal calls several
other lenders, but is eventually forced to ask a relative for
a loan.
Back on the building site David and Eric
are starting to worry about the money. It's been two weeks
since the builders have been paid and they are owed 4,600
euros. Pritpal eventually comes up with the cash and work
carries on, but when the builders are asked to do an extra two
weeks' work, neither David nor Eric are confident Pritpal can
come up with the necessary funds. They only agree if Pritpal
pays the 2,000 euros in advance.
Neelam isn't happy. "I thought it was
going to be cheaper. We've gone quite a bit over budget," she
admits. One bankruptcy has been enough for Neelam: "I don't
like the thought of being in debt."
cash flow dries
up
Pritpal and Neelam have gone way over
their original £25,000 budget and can't manage to pay the
builders until after they open. David and Eric take the news
badly and threaten to walk away unless they, and plumber
Gordon, are paid what they are owed.
Somehow Pritpal's negotiating skills save
the day and the parties settle their differences. Pritpal and
Neelam are up to the limit on all their credit cards, there is
no more money and the restaurant needs to be up and running
within the week. "The pressure is on now, we need to get open
as quickly as possible. Neelam worries when there is no money
coming in," says Pritpal.
Ten days behind schedule the builders
finish. Now the kitchen equipment and furnishings can be
fitted. The sign goes up and Pritpal employs two kitchen
staff, two waitresses and a barman.
opening blues
The day of the opening dawns and the
restaurant has received several bookings but there is still
one problem - the gas bottles haven't been delivered. Several
phone calls later and Pritpal is no closer to getting his gas.
Reluctantly he agrees to delay the opening.
Neelam is not surprised. "I was really
excited and I thought 'this is it, it's going to happen'. But
in the back of my head I always think that this is Spain so it
might not happen. And I've been proved right again!"
When the gas finally arrives Diva is
ready to open - two weeks behind schedule and twice its
original budget. With an average meal costing 15 euros Pritpal
and Neelam will have to attract 40 customers a night to break
even.
The opening is a success. Within an hour,
the restaurant is full and customers are praising the quality
of the food. "I'm tired and relieved that the first day is
over," says Pritpal, "everyone was really happy, they loved
the food and the service."
Catch up with Pritpal and Neelam on the
Diva
restaurant website.
The BBC is not responsible
for the content of external web sites
| 
