Culinary newcomers in Nida face big barriers

The new businesses say they aren’t afraid of competition and will attract customers with unique culinary offerings.

Over the weekend, a new terrace opened in Nida run by two sisters. They rented the location of the once-famous Nida restaurant and created a restaurant in the location. They are new to the culinary business, but they say they aren’t afraid of competition.

“The competition is endless, especially in the summer, since many new cafes pop up for the summer season. They all want to impress vacationers with their special cuisine,” said Varna.Terasa restaurant owner Indrė Navarackienė.

Their dish prices will be similar to those in other establishments, but they hope to attract customers with special home-made dishes and fresh fish.

The investments into the new restaurant amounted to several tens of thousands of Euros, and it is planned that they will start paying for themselves in a year.

“Every day, we should have 100 to 200 [guests], but this is from the morning when we open until the evening, when the tables rotate one after the other,” said co-owner Inga Janovskė. She expects this number of visitors after Joninės.

Nidos Banga shareholder and businessman Antanas Noreika, who has more than 20 years of experience in Nida, said that it’s a risky time to start a business. The market, he says, is full of businesses, and it’s hard to attract clients.

“The worst thing is the seasonality and the weather. Friday, Saturday, and everyone leaves on Sunday. And that’s the whole week, can you imagine? If someone visits, that’s great,” said Noreika.

Noreika said that, even with all of the necessary restaurant inventory and having paid all of the taxes and wages, every Euro only leaves seven cents of profit. That money is used to renew the restaurant.