Prices up, standards down

[Alfaman]

Recently back from our seventh visit to Kalkan and after eating out every night our restaurant bills came in much higher than previously,  although much to do with the price of wine. Also caught with automatic service charges (Fish Terrace), extra for vegetables (Salt & Pepper). Great variation in price of eg  a bottle of Angora from 20 TL at Rendezvous to  at least 35TL at  Coast.
Also had some mediocre meals and one so bad we complained and they had the good grace to delete it from our bill, and that at a restaurant where we had our best meal last year!
Best value had to be Kaya, Aubergine very good (except for loud smokers at next table), also Rendezvous, Sofra and surprisingly the restaurant at Likya Resort - good food, reasonably priced and lovely position. All but one of rest OK although bit disappointed with the much hyped Moussaka. Am now very wary of restaurant and hotel reviews on Tripadvisor, especially if it's their first post.(A hotel we have stayed at and wouldn't recommend is high in the rankings from a string of first time postings)




Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=4669.0

[Enjoy Kalkan]

Thanks for the report Alfaman, we tried lots of different restaurants this year and found prices did seem to vary much more than other years, especially on the wine front

[Kalkan regular]

The cheapest wine we found this year was at 'Our House', the new restaurant up near the 'green' school. They charged 15 lira for Angora. The food was as cheap and was tasty and freshly cooked and the owner was very attentive and keen to please. We will be eating  there again next year.

[Em1]

Hi
And at 15tl for Angora, they are still making a fair profit! Kalkan should have some BYO restaurants...
Em

[Tatilde]

You beat me to it Kalkan Regular. We were given a free serving of chocolate cake at Our House too.

[Charlie]

You pay 10 lira in a supermarket for Angora so Our House are making a 50% profit.  Do you know any restaurant in the UK that serves wine without making a profit?  Typically a 20 pounds bottle in a restaurant in the UK would be no more than 7.99 to buy, so a profit of well over 200% -  why shouldn't restaurants in Kalkan make a profit?  Maybe they should wash and polish glasses, stand there smiling, serving it to us all night  and not charge?  Even in a BYO restaurant if you bring a 3.99 bottle and they charge 4 quid corkage they're still making 100%.  Give the restaurants a break and move on with the times.

[Em1]

Hi
I am sorry but I think many of the restaurants in Kalkan (and in the UK) are too expensive, especially when it comes to the price of wine.
Kalkanregular advised the cheapest Angora was 15tl, and I know it can be 35tl. I bought Angora in a Kas supermarket for 8.5tl this year, so that is a 400% mark up
I refuse to pay the restaurant prices for wine in Kalkan, and on many occasions in the UK as well.
I do not know any BYO restaurants that would charge 4 pounds for corkage, and if I did I would not visit them.
Maybe I am just not as rich as some people, but I refuse to pay what I consider extortionate prices for anything!
Em

[msr]

We have just come back from 5 days in Istanbul, believe me it makes Kalkan look very reasonable. Bottles of wine ranged from £50, yes £ not Lire to £129 . The £50 was for house wine. This particular restaurant charged £9 for a glass of wine. Needless to say we didn't partake!. The restaurants were OK but Kalkan restaurants are far superior in every way. When I think of the Mezes in Korsan, there was nothing that came close. An interesting trip but I know where I would rather eat!

[felicity]

I too can vouch for the delicious food at Our House - simple turkish cooking at its best and most reasonably priced and as previously said - the angora is the cheapest by far.....I dont mind paying that price!!  AND it is soooo close - my local!

Good luck to Gursel and his wife - they are super!!

[Hummingbird]

Felicity – you need to change your strap line.  The school isn’t green anymore is it!?

[misty]

I too can vouch for the delicious food at Our House - simple turkish cooking at its best and most reasonably priced and as previously said - the angora is the cheapest by far.....I dont mind paying that price!!  AND it is soooo close - my local!

Good luck to Gursel and his wife - they are super!!

Where is Our House  And please dont say " In the middle of the street"

[Blue Lizard]

Misty...from vilage,go past Nur/Omars take next turn on left(opp market)...road goes up a small hill..at top turn right (by school) you will find it a short distance along here.

[felicity]

....or alternatively from the Otogar/petrol station - take the right hand road leading to the blue/lemon (!!) school past Christine's old place and it will be found on the right hand side before you reach the school!!

[howmad]

Many restaurants in Kalkan barely make any profit which is why they keep closing. The rents charged are often prohibitive. If you are paying between 30,000 and 100,000 lira for a six month season, with kitchen and waiting staff wages, as well as accommodation on top you do not have to be a genius to realise that new places have a hard time. Even old favourites can struggle. With electricity up 60% and food prices also rising it is a miracle that there are any restaurants left. The cost of singers and musicians plus their food and drink is 300 lira plus per night.

Complaining about a couple of lira on efes or 10-20 on wine is hardly a problem when a restaurant has to take 300,000-400,000 lira just to stay in the black. We still expect staff to smile and get everything perfect and when its not we complain or post a complaint which can destroy a restaurant. 5000 meals perfect or good or very good, 1 just OK or not so good and we think we have the right to destroy them.If you do not like a place move on try another.  I have no connection with any restaurant or restaurateur or business in Kalkan, just love the place.

[misty]

....or alternatively from the Otogar/petrol station - take the right hand road leading to the blue/lemon (!!) school past Christine's old place and it will be found on the right hand side before you reach the school!!

With you now so it must be close to where the new Karting  track will be 

[MartynE]

Many restaurants in Kalkan barely make any profit which is why they keep closing. The rents charged are often prohibitive. If you are paying between 30,000 and 100,000 lira for a six month season, with kitchen and waiting staff wages, as well as accommodation on top you do not have to be a genius to realise that new places have a hard time. Even old favourites can struggle. With electricity up 60% and food prices also rising it is a miracle that there are any restaurants left. The cost of singers and musicians plus their food and drink is 300 lira plus per night.

Complaining about a couple of lira on efes or 10-20 on wine is hardly a problem when a restaurant has to take 300,000-400,000 lira just to stay in the black. We still expect staff to smile and get everything perfect and when its not we complain or post a complaint which can destroy a restaurant. 5000 meals perfect or good or very good, 1 just OK or not so good and we think we have the right to destroy them.If you do not like a place move on try another.  I have no connection with any restaurant or restaurateur or business in Kalkan, just love the place.

Very well said. Some people need to get a reality check.

[kim21]

Howmad,
         perhaps I'm missing something here......?
  I'd love to know where you get the figure of '300,000-400,000tl just to stay in the black,'    from. If rent is 30,40 or even 50,000tl for the season, why do restauranteurs need another 350,000tl?

[kalkankiki]

Anyone who thinks the prices in Kalkan are high should travel around to some of the other coastal resorts of Turkey! In the Bodrum area a bottle of Angora goes for around 50 lira, so we really should not be complaining about prices here!

[howmad]

It's very simple. rent                                50,000 tl plus
                      Kitchen staff                     40,000  tl
                      Waiting staff                     25,000  tl
                      Staff accommodation/food      8,000
                      Electricity/gas/water           10,000
                      Front man                          10,000
                      Owner/partners wages          25,000
                      Table linen/glasses/pots etc
                      Original cost+ replacement     10,000       
                      Repairs/refurbishment,           10,000
                      Web sites/ advertising/signs     5,000
                      Wine cost/spirits/beer            40,000
                      Food cost/wastage              100,000
 
     I am sure that you could argue up or down on some figures but as I know of two restaurant where the rent is 100,000 and one that is 65,000 there is no escaping the reality of the situation. Red snapper can cost 100 lira,giant prawns at 40 lira a kilo, even the chicken costs approx 9 lira a kilo. Fillet steak is very expensive and lamb is almost unobtainable at this time of the year. The food wastage can be incredible.Most restaurants use transport and cars/or scooters have to be paid for. Every time you break a glass or spill red wine it comes straight off the top line. I have not included tax or licence fees, the cost of entertainment/ fireworks/freebies/coffee machines/service charges for fridges or other equipment but I have probably missed some things altogether.


                                                                               

[mitch]

Howmad- I couldn't agree with you more! All of your comments are valid and very true. How refreshing to see someone being supportive and understanding of Kalkan businesses, instead of having a moan and complain. If you don't like Kalkan, the restaurants, or the prices- there's a big world out there to explore.