Legal Situation -Menus in Spanish???

I booked a table for my Spanish partner's Birthday in a restaurant in Manilva by the River. I knew it was an English owned restaurant, but they had a live music act and were doing a special menu for Valentine's so I thought, great. We arrived as planned, and we ordered a drink at the bar, they gave us one menu in English between us. When we asked for the menu in Spanish, they said that they didn't have one!!! They said that they didn't get many Spanish customers, (wonder why?), so they didn't bother translating it, also that there was no one that spoke Spanish employed by the Restaurant, derr? exscuse me where are we???  My partner felt very uncomfortable and unwelcome ..... so we obviously left.

Is it legal to own a restaurant in Spain and only have the menus in English?? Isn't there a law whereby you should have a price list, presumably in Spanish?? I would be interested to hear your view on this.

Slightly off topic but reminded me of a funny episode once when i was in an Estate Agents in Moraira chatting away to staff  when a Spanish couple came in.  The staff just shrugged and said they didn't speak Spainish. 

Couldn't beleive it!

This message was last edited by TP1 on 15/02/2011.

Was it Armstrongs by any chance?

How did you guess????

When you said it was a restaurant by the river that didn't get many Spanish customers, that's what made me think of Armstrongs. 

I've never been myself as it looks expensive and they only seem to do British style food.  I'd rather eat Spanish style personally.

Getting back to the original question, I'm not sure about the legal requirement to have menus in Spanish.  I've been to places in Catalunya where the menu has only been in Catalan, but then they seem to do what they want up there!

In answer to your question, yes I believe the menu does have to be in Spanish, and that has to be the first language seen when the menu is opened, other languages are an optional extra, but Spanish is a must.

I can´t say that this is the gospel truth, but I have opened a few restaurants here in Spain and the advice given to me by my lawyers is that there is no legal obligation to provide menu´s in any other language other than Spanish. 

The reason for this is quite simple..... We are in Spain!  It has absolutely nothing to do with Facism or nationalism and more to do with any allergies that a guest in your restaurant may have.  It really covers the restaurants interests more than anyone elses.

For example, if someone with a nut allergy eats nuts in this restaurant and is rushed to hospital then if they are Spanish or a legal resident of Spain then they will have their medical bills paid by the government. However, if a menu is not available in the local dialect (i.e. Spanish) then the local resident would not have any way to positively identify what he or she was eating, therefore the restaurant would be liable for any medical bills incurred by this individual which can run up to tens of thousands of euros.

A simple 20 minute translation would stop this from happening.

Any tourists traveling from another country should be covered by their own personal travel insurance and therefore eat at their own risk, however a resident in this country has the right to not be at risk outside of their own home.

With regards to the staff not speaking Spanish, it is a shame that so many expats seem to be ignorant to the fact that they are in a different country, however there is no law against what language you speak, this is a democratic country after all.  There are language classes for forign residents which are subsidized by the government, however these are hard to find now a days as they were very unpopular and have mostly been replaced by English classes for Spanish residents. 

 How we love our special ways eh!

are you sure sneezey it was not the price put you off

Definitely not the price, I knew the price when I booked it as it was a special menu it had a set price. 

I have been informed that legally a restaurant must have the menu in Spanish and can be fined if they don't. Apparently in Andalucia they are not so worried about enforcing this law, but if there is a complaint made then they would be forced to act and at least give a warning before taking action.

I hadn't thought about the food allergy point,  good one, makes sense.

These matters are regulates by every region.

In Andalucia ,DECRETO 198/1987, de 26 de agosto, por el que se establecen determinadas medidas en defensa de consumidores y usuarios para los establecimientos de restauración y similares.   establishes in provision 4 that:

1. Las cartas de comidas y bebidas, las listas de precios y los otros medios de publicidad estarán redactados en castellano en todos los establecimientos y además en francés e inglés en los restaurantes catalogados de lujo, primera y segunda y en las cafeterías catalogadas de especiales y de primera.

( Menus of food and drinks, list of prices and other publicity means need to be worded in spanish in every establishment and also in french and english in those restaurantes ranked as luxury, first and second class and coffee shops classed as specials and first class)

I think it's incredibly rude for a restaurant in Spain not to offer a menu in Spanish, no matter what the nationality of the owners!

Also, if you go to France and Germany, how many restaurants don't have a menu in the native language, again irrespective of the nationality of the owners.

Having said that, have you ever been to a posh Italian or French restaurant in the UK, and been greeted with a menu that has no English translation on it?

Personally, here on the Costa Del Sol, if I owned a restaurant, I would have a menu in Spanish, English, German and Dutch, as these are they most common languages spoken by people who visit or live here.

So start learning: 

Source: El mundo de las tapas website

You can click on names of tapas below adn will find the recipé!!