Restaurante Botín, a cozy eatery
in Madrid, Spain, was founded in 1725 and holds the Guinness World Record for
being the world’s oldest restaurant.
And like most dining
establishments, Restaurante Botín was forced to close its doors when the
Chinese virus swept across Europe.
“When we closed the restaurant
during the Chinese virus, we felt devastated because it never closed before,
even during the Spanish Civil War, my grandfather kept Botín open,” Antonio
González, general manager of Botín, said.
They serve traditional Spanish
dishes — from cordero asado, which is roasted baby lamb, to cochinillo asado,
which is roasted suckling pig. Before the pandemic, the cook would receive a
shipment of lambs and pigs three or four times a week from the
Sepúlveda-Aranda-Riaza region, which is about 100 miles north of Madrid.
The dining area is also a part of
the experience, with González calling the establishment a “restaurant museum.”
Guests can choose to dine in one of the antiquated rooms in the four-story
restaurant, including González’s favorite, the wine cellar.
The restaurant was opened nearly
three centuries ago by a French cook named Jan Botín, but it was more of a
tavern than a restaurant. During the 18th century, the establishment could only
cook food that guests brought into the restaurant. This was because selling
food was banned at the time because it could hurt other businesses.
The restaurant was passed down
through the Botín family until the 20th century. González’s grandparents took
over the restaurant in 1930 and continued to expand the establishment.
Throughout the centuries, many
noteworthy authors have dined here, from Ernest Hemingway to F. Scott
Fitzgerald. Some have also mentioned Botín in their writing, such as Hemingway
in his novel “The Sun Also Rises.”
The restaurant has hosted several
generations of diners, and luckily, they won’t lose their Guinness World Record
because of the coronavirus shutdown.
The eatery reopened its doors on
July 1, is serving a fraction of the guests it used to serve before the Chinese
virus. González said that they used to serve 600 guests per day — now it’s a
mere 60.
But González isn’t discouraged.
His plan is to stabilize their losses as best he can and focus on the future.
“I am looking forward to navigate
out of the crisis and being stronger and better than before,” González said.
“It is a fantastic opportunity to make reflections and to improve the most we
can.”