If there’s one place in Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife that epitomises tradition, it’s probably the „Café de Paris“. German biscuits and Christmas treats in winter, cocktails in summer, and French flair in between. Yet what many people associate with this spot on the town’s promenade has been a thing of the past for years.
The situation is similar with the „Columbus Plaza“ on Plaza del Charco and the „El Pingüino“ ice-cream parlour in the same location. What these three former fixtures of the town had in common were their owners. And they have now taken a decision that is painful for some of their former regular customers.
However, the closure was on the cards. The three catering establishments also tell the story of a gradual farewell. And in doing so, they symbolise a change that is likely to be seen all too often in Puerto de la Cruz over the coming months.
Catering in Puerto de la Cruz: An outdated concept and a lack of passion
As recently as March, Düsseldorf’s carnival revellers used the unexpected day off – caused by the cancelled carnival parade – to celebrate outside the Café de Paris, under the awning that had been repurposed as an umbrella stand (photo below).
Columbus Plaza, too, came to rely more and more on walk-in customers rather than regulars. The ice-cream parlour faced a very similar fate. The biggest turning point, however, was the generational change.
The Columbus Group had been run as a family business for three generations. In the town in the north of Tenerife, locals speculate that the children probably did not want to take over. And so a decision had to be made about the future of the three businesses.
As painful as it is, the decision was made with clarity: ‚Columbus Plaza‘, as the last remaining branch, had stayed open for a few days longer. But now an era has come to an end: all the branches of the family-run business have closed down for good as of this week.
The future of the sites remains uncertain. However, given their location, it is only a matter of time before they reopen under new management. Meanwhile, the discussion about the background to this is more intriguing:
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