Menorcan restaurants during the Cristhmas holidays

Miriam Triay/Ciutadella - After a summer season in which it was said that the complementary offer had suffered an initial decline, and a last-minute comeback, there are few restaurants that remain open at present. These, and after a fairly good summer although a little different, are already preparing for the Christmas campaign.

SUMMER IN RESTAURANTS
From what they tell us, for example, from the MOGA group, this year the difference has been found in the change in tourists. If before more national tourists came, this summer the French and English have prevailed, and this is not so low in Ciutadella restaurants. “In this sense, the establishments we have in the Cala’n Bosch development have enjoyed a very good season, and the Aquarium in the port of Ciutadella has suffered a small drop”.

With similar feelings but for very different reasons, from the Club Nàutic restaurant, they explain to us the drop in tourists they suffered at the beginning of the summer, due to the works that have been taking place for months on the Camí de Baix. “It was not until practically the end of August that cars could circulate on the street again. And this harmed us, because many people, nowadays, do not move without a car. In any case, we have the advantage that customers can also reach us by sea. And in general, it really was a good season, despite this inconvenience. Because we notice how each year the demand increases”.

A feeling of growth that is shared by the Moli des Compte Asador, which, despite also living off the season, having become a year-round restaurant, is not affected as much by what may happen with tourists, or so they perceive it. “The place where we are, the tradition we have, and the years we have been there, we have had a very good summer campaign, and since the day we opened we have always been increasing, in this sense. In addition, the great advantage we have is that the people of the town respond to us a lot”.
Thus with different feelings, each restaurant has lived its season, without having to survive. With fairly good margins, and with a more than sufficient number of customers. What is clear is that, despite the drop in consumption of complementary offerings that was announced, there have been restaurants that, for various reasons, have not noticed the effects in the same way as others.

THE MOST FESTIVE RESTAURANT
These same three restaurants, among others, are the ones that are still open, and are already preparing for the Christmas campaign. One that, despite being concentrated in a few days, encompasses more than it seems.

Starting this week and the next, the world of restaurants has had to prepare for company lunches and dinners, which are increasingly typical and more established in the Menorcan tradition. Thus, and as the three establishments coincide, although the strongest days are both weekends (13-15 and 20-22), companies are spread out over the weeks to be able to offer the pre-holiday meeting to their employees.
Most restaurants that host these business events prepare special menus, in which there is usually a snack to make among everyone and a dish to choose from, in addition to desserts. With small differences depending on the establishment. Designated days, and increasingly sought after, which have already led to some establishments preparing more than one menu according to the preferences of each place. The Club Nàutic, for example, presents two, which vary according to the price. And the Aquarium restaurant of the MOGA group, located in the port, designs three. The fact is that, with such success, alternatives have to be sought every time to cope with the great demand it presents. And also with the rise in the prices of raw materials.

If we talk about the holidays themselves, although the tradition of Menorcans has always been to have dinner and lunch with family from home, for a few years now the restaurants that are open have been observing some changes.

Thus, and as they tell us from the Molí des Compte Asador, “for a few years now families have been used to going out to eat on December 25th, when before the most natural thing was to stay at home”. An opinion shared by the Club Nàutic Restaurant, where they have been preparing special menus for this day for a few years now. And also from the Aquarium restaurant where, although they do not prepare any special menu, they do open and work with the products they have on the menu.

The big difference remains on December 24th. While the Moli des Compte Asador offers its meals to take away, so that people can have dinner from home, but without having to cook; the Club Nàutic restaurant is closed. And the Aquarium offers the same as on the 25th, the a la carte menu.

And on December 31st, where gala dinners have disappeared from the Moli des Compte Asador offer, and now only offers takeaway food, as it already does on the 24th. “It was too much for us to do, for New Year's Eve, in-person menus and takeaway menus. It was a lot of work, and we decided to let it go.” But they remain in the Club Nàutic restaurant, which still prepares a special and exclusive menu for New Year's Eve. “We even have to remove the usual menu, because we can't cover everything.” A very complete one. And the Aquarium, as on other days, remains the same, with the a la carte menu.

Holidays that each establishment organizes in its own way, adding changes, removing the menu (Aquarium), designing new and different ones (Moli des Compte Asador and Club Nàutic restaurant), removing the usual menu because they cannot take on everything (Club Nàutic restaurant), or preparing various options according to the price that the diner is willing to pay. Holidays, however, are for sharing, for celebrating, and for being together. Wherever it is, and however it is.