Spartachori - what's the deal?

[jordanbasset]

Agree with Cardo, the issue is, as said, the Quay does not belong to that restaurant. Certainly when we were there the taverna and cafe owners in the town at the top of the hill were complaining that customers were pressurised to go to his taverna and they were losing money. All business' need to survive, they were just asking for a level playing field when it came to the use of communal town facilities, i.e. the quay

 

[duncan99210]

Agree with Cardo, the issue is, as said, the Quay does not belong to that restaurant. Certainly when we were there the taverna and cafe owners in the town at the top of the hill were complaining that customers were pressurised to go to his taverna and they were losing money. All business' need to survive, they were just asking for a level playing field when it came to the use of communal town facilities, i.e. the quay

+1
Where a taverna has built their own quay, it's fair enough for them to expect you to use their taverna to eat as a quid pro quo for the use of their quay. However, the place in question was built by the local government and is not owned by the taverna owners. They therefore have no right, moral or otherwise, to expect you to use their taverna. Pressure to do so is out of order and usually results in a sharp refusal to even have a drink in the place.
Contrast this to George in Kalamos, who manages to squeeze in more boats than you would think would fit. All he does is to hand you a business card and draw your attention to his taverna. No dark glares if you don't go there for supper, which tends to lead us to having breakfast there whilst we watch the whacky races of the flotilla departures....

 

[duncan99210]

Agree with Cardo, the issue is, as said, the Quay does not belong to that restaurant. Certainly when we were there the taverna and cafe owners in the town at the top of the hill were complaining that customers were pressurised to go to his taverna and they were losing money. All business' need to survive, they were just asking for a level playing field when it came to the use of communal town facilities, i.e. the quay

+1
Where a taverna has built their own quay, it's fair enough for them to expect you to use their taverna to eat as a quid pro quo for the use of their quay. However, the place in question was built by the local government and is not owned by the taverna owners. They therefore have no right, moral or otherwise, to expect you to use their taverna. Pressure to do so is out of order and usually results in a sharp refusal to even have a drink in the place.
Contrast this to George in Kalamos, who manages to squeeze in more boats than you would think would fit. All he does is to hand you a business card and draw your attention to his taverna. No dark glares if you don't go there for supper, which tends to lead us to having breakfast there whilst we watch the whacky races of the flotilla departures....

 

[affinite]

+1
Where a taverna has built their own quay, it's fair enough for them to expect you to use their taverna to eat as a quid pro quo for the use of their quay. However, the place in question was built by the local government and is not owned by the taverna owners. They therefore have no right, moral or otherwise, to expect you to use their taverna. Pressure to do so is out of order and usually results in a sharp refusal to even have a drink in the place.
Contrast this to George in Kalamos, who manages to squeeze in more boats than you would think would fit. All he does is to hand you a business card and draw your attention to his taverna. No dark glares if you don't go there for supper, which tends to lead us to having breakfast there whilst we watch the whacky races of the flotilla departures....

Funnily enough Georges name came up more than once when we were in a couple of Dodecanese islands last week eg Arki. There were several boats each with a big gap either side of them ie taking up more than one space but with their captain averting his eyes when a new boat arrived looking for a berth. I would have thought that one of the (2) local taverna owners would have taken Georges self appointed berthing master approach and marshaled the boats so as to get another 2 or 3 customers on the (public) quay.

 

[bosun53]

Spartachori

Been to Spartachori twice, first time a year ago was advised that the owner (can't remember which Brother) would shout & bawl at me. I was looking forward to this as I like a challenge, but it never happened. Second time was there 3 weeks ago, no one to meet me. Both times we ate at the said Taverna, no pressure to do so. We had very good food on both occasions, would certainly go there again. Hopefully when we are more local, we will use more often.

 

[Nostrodamus]

I wouldn't want you anywhere near me either Cardo. He obviously knows you better than most!

 

[Cardo]

I wouldn't want you anywhere near me either Cardo. He obviously knows you better than most!

We'll be keeping all the brownies to ourselves, in that case!

 

[dtynan]

I've been to Spartochori many times and always found Steve and Jerry delightful. I always have at least one or two meals at their taverna. I've sailed in single-handed and Jerry took my lines. I ended up staying an extra day (day three) and Jerry asked if I was leaving that day. I said no, asked if that was a problem, he shook his head and said "Flotilla!" Sure enough, a gaggle of boats arrived later on, taking up all available space. This is their livelihood. I'll repeat that: This is their livelihood. I doubt that low quay beside their taverna was built by the Greek government and I can assure you that it's Steve and Jerry who make sure the lazy lines are in good condition. They've even fabricated little wooden steps for each boat so you can get off the bow and onto the quay, relatively safely.

Last summer, I nipped in to Sivota (as usual) and went to tie up at the pontoon paid for by Taverna Stavros (as usual) only to be told the nearly-empty floating pontoon was "booked out." We found another slot on the quay wall at the end of the village and went for dinner at Stavros's anyway. They gave us a lovely table upstairs overlooking the pontoon, which quickly filled up. I watched as boat after boat hooked up to the free shore power, filled their water tanks, and either ate on board or marched off into the village. Some avoided eye contact with the Stavros waiters who were plying their wares. Not even a smile or a "hello." The restaurant was mostly empty.

I mean, how stupid do you have to be to think that someone is going to pay for a pontoon for you, give you free electricity and water, and not at least expect your custom at the end of it? You really need to keep repeating "this is their livelihood." By all means, go to the other end of the med where you can pay through the nose for everything. But to arrive in Spartochori and complain because they would like space on the quay they (probably) built and which they definitely maintain, for actual paying customers is rich, in the extreme. As for the threat of cutting lazy lines, I can't imagine why anyone would even consider that for a millisecond. It speaks volumes about the original poster.

 

[billcole]

This is a pretty old thread you've replied to, but back in 2014 it was the other quay and taverna that people were talking about, to starboard as you enter the bay, near where the ferrry to Nidri operates from.
The taverna that I think you're talking about is the one further into the bay on the port side as you enter, where boats berth bows to to avoid rudder damage, and there are indeed wooden step "mounting blocks" provided to make getting ashore from the bow easier ?