Ive noticed over the years that it seems like restaurants turn over quickly on Bonaire. There seems to be a small core of restaurants that stay year after year (Richards, Patagonia, etc) but even when the names stay the same there are occasional ownership changes.

Anyone know any particular reasons why or speculation as the cause? Just curious. Ive never seen that much turnover in our neck of the woods.

It's an extremely difficult business to run here, considering the supply chain of both goods and labor, and the massive amounts of paperwork-administration required. The different languages and cultures are interesting, but can be hurdles for some not born here. Some folks burn out. Some go bankrupt. Some lose their lease and can't renew at the landlord's increased rate. Some have kids they don't want to put or keep in the school system here. Some realize living and working on an island (which is not the culture/language they were raised in) is not the same as being here on vacation...

And some just forgot to read "Don't Stop the Carnival" as non-fiction. It's fiction when you don't live on an island. Non-fiction when you do (by Herman Wouk).

IMO, most go under or leave because eventually they realize that just because you like to cook and eat-out, doesn't mean that you can run a restaurant AND make a living.

That is why I love KFC. The sequel to Wouks book was written by a local expat, Sparky Thorn but I don't have a copy. Guess Ruth and I will have to start our own...

I really should be writing this stuff down. You can't make it up!

I think even experienced restaurant people are fooled by how difficult it is to do business here, especially in that business. If you live in a big city, you can just call Sysco or you local meat or fish or produce guy and the deliver. If you on on Bonaire, every chef that I know here does their own shopping for EVERYTHING.

OK, maybe they will deliver your beer, but virtually everything else is purchased personally by the chef at one of the local supermarkets.

So if you are "lucky" enough to own a restaurant, you get to get up at 8 or 9am, go to the store to get grocery items, then go into the restaurant to meet the fisherman and pay for the fish (which is delivered whole) then do your prep work and then maybe you can go home to take a nap. Don't forget to buy your liquor too! Then back at 4pm to start cooking until 10pm when the kitchen closes. When you combine that with also running a staff of prep cooks, dishwashers, and wait staff. YIKES! who wants to do that?

Thank goodness for the chefs we have here, as many of them are as good or better than what you would find any place in the world. Considering the challenges to find fresh produce and other ingredients it is amazing the great meals they can make.

PLEASE NOTE: I highly recommend that anyone who is considering moving to Bonaire to buy or run a business, or to live here full time, read "Don't Stop the Carnival", first, before they do anything.

Like Ruth said, the book is fiction only if you don't live here. After you live here, every one of the things that happens to Norman Paperman will happen to you. The book is SOOOOO true.

Someone once said to me: 'The best way to become a millionaire on Bonaire, is to start as a multi-millionaire & work your way down'

Antony - I heard the same thing about owning a dive store ... the best way to make a small fortune in diving is to start with a large fortune !!

I just finished "Don't Stop the Carnival" at the suggestion of a friend on the island who knows I'm interested in relocating to Bonaire eventually.

I would agree that it is required reading before you make the leap. While it is a bit dated (written in the 60s), a lot of it is timeless.

Well "Don't Stop The Carnival" is definitely a Caribbean classic. Personally I strongly suspect that the author was heavily influenced by time spent on St. Croix/St Thomas. I kind of recollect an awful lot of coincidences between the book and the US Virgin Islands.

a few years ago i recommended that a local hotel/restaurant owner read "don't stop the carnival". he replied "i don't need to read that crap, i know how to run a business". needless to say, he's no longer on bonaire. it's a very entertaining book but the longer you're here, especially if you're trying to make a living here, the more you realize how true the book is.

Michael, I guess you have been to KFC on the island then. Smile!

Vince, Herman Wouk apparently did run a hotel on St. Thomas for several years, hence the inspiration for the book.

After reading the book, I am convinced that I will need to keep my current job and work remotely if I have any chance of maintaining my sanity long-term on Bonaire.

I wasn't aware of that Liz. But I spent a lot of time on St Croix back in the late 70's & 80's and it seemed like the characters in the book were very similar to what I encountered there. That hotel off the main island reminded me very much of the little island hotel off Christiansted on St Croix.

This book is said to be loosely based on Herman Wouk's experiences in managing an actual hotel in the early 1960's St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The hotel was on Hassel Island, located in Charlotte Amalie Harbour. (From Wikipedia.org)