According to a study by the Coca Cola company, there are 350,000 catering establishments in Spain, which means one bar for every 132 inhabitants. The study analyses the relationship between the Spanish and ‘the bar’.
The regions with the highest ratio are La Rioja and Extremadura with 142 and 124 people for every bar. At the other end of the scale are Murcia and Navarra with 531 and 340 people for every bar.
The study also shows that two-thirds of people know the names of the staff at their local bar and thirty percent would apparently not hesitate to leave their house keys at the bar, such is their trust.
In addition, 84% of those surveyed associate the bar with ‘fun, enjoyment and happiness’ and 74% believe it the best place to ‘disconnect’ and to meet loved ones. Around 64% believe that the bar is a symbol of Spanish culture.
Around 5% say that they visit the bar at least once per day and 30% visit the bar on several occasions per week. As for why people choose a particular bar, 22% say it is for the food and drink, 21% for the staff and 14% choose an establishment for the prices, particularly during the financial crisis.
However, since the start of the financial crisis, 50,000 bars have been forced to close and sales in the catering industry have fallen by 22% since 2008, some €13,100 million less in revenues, and 76,000 people have lost their jobs.