Madrid mulls opening restaurants earlier to adapt to tourists

Madrid’s right-wing regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso on Tuesday called on hospitality businesses in the city to adapt their opening hours to the earlier eating habits of international visitors. 

Whereas in most European countries lunchtime is around midday and dinnertime around 6pm, Spaniards are famously late eaters, tucking in to la comida (lunch) at 2pm or 3pm and la cena (dinner) as late as 10pm. 

This disparity in meal times means that when many tourists in the Spanish capital are getting peckish, most eateries haven’t even opened their doors yet.  

Madrid regional authorities are currently in talks with hospitality associations in the city of 3 million inhabitants in the hope of convincing bar and restaurant owners to start serving lunch as early as midday (soon after Spaniards’ mid-morning coffee break) and dinner at 6pm. 

“We have to adapt to those who grace us with their visit and trust us,” Ayuso said, contradicting herself somewhat when adding that when Spaniards go abroad they often “get distracted” and “miss out on lunch or dinner”. 

The proposal would reportedly only apply to bars and restaurants in parts of the city centre which are popular with tourists, such as Plaza Mayor and Gran Vía. 

According to sources from Madrid’s regional government, “it’s not a case of imposing these timetables” but rather offering more meal times within these earlier time slots. 

Spain is by far the European country where people have lunch and dinner the latest.

By contrast, in Nordic countries such as Norway and Finland lunch is at 11am whilst dinner can be as early as 4pm, at a time when many Spaniards are finishing off their lunches.

READ MORE: Why do Spaniards eat so late? 

It is perfectly possible to have food at cafés and bars in Madrid and across Spain at midday or before, but it will often be breakfast food or filled baguettes rather than proper meals. 

In March, Spain’s left-wing Labour Minister argued that it was “crazy” that many restaurants in the country stay open until 1am as part of a wider debate about Spaniards’ late working hours. 

READ MORE: Do Spain’s working hours end too late?

What do you think? Should bars and restaurants in Madrid and Spain adapt to tourists' eating habits, or should it be the other way round? Let us know in the comments section below.