Spanish City Throws Bars and Restaurants without a Terrace a Lifeline

Bars and restaurants without a terrace can now take high tables with stools onto the streets of Madrid.

The city of Madrid has suffered badly during the crisis and Bars and restaurants are among the worst affected. After consideration (and many petitions) the council has decided to allow high tables with stools to placed onto the street so the owners can at least serve a few more customers.

The move has been welcomed by the hospitality sector and is seen as a lifeline- thousands of people in the capital work in these types of establishments and depend on the income to survive.

Starting this Thursday, hoteliers who do not have a terrace, either because it has been denied or due to lack of space, may apply to the City Council for a license to take high tables with two stools onto the streets, said the Deputy Mayor of Madrid, Begoña Villacís, during her speech in the Plenary of Cibeles.

In the last two months, the City Council has received a total of 3,283 requests to expand or install new terraces. According to the data provided by the Vice Mayor’s office, 1,389 of them have been granted, just over one-third of the total.

In the meeting it was also mentioned that a total of 59 people were buried without any family members present, no-one yet has come forward to claim the bodies. Health authorities are still trying to trace the relatives and advertisements have been placed in local newspapers to that end.