The Muro Sports Bar: 500-Euro Rent with Conditions

The vacant bar at the Muro sports center is being leased cheaply. But who will take over the ongoing employment contract with a long-term sick employee? That's the catch.

Affordable Rent, Major Reservation

These days, anyone strolling through Muro sees the sports center at Plaça de l'Esport, the boules courts, and the busy gym. Only one thing looks abandoned: the small cafeteria next to the entrance. The municipality now offers it for a symbolic 500 euros per year — a price that immediately arouses interest. But there is a big label on the offer.

Why so cheap?

Two years ago, a tenant paid five figures. The municipality gradually lowered the demand after several operators failed. What seems like generosity is actually an attempt to prevent a lasting closure. The bar is empty, the coffee machine is dusty, the fridge rarely hums.

The catch: The next operator must take over an existing employment contract. It concerns an employee who has been on long term sick leave and whose salary the municipality includes in the lease agreement — about 1,500 euros per month, according to the budget documents. For small operators this can quickly become a burden, even with a low rent.

Politics and Criticism

The opposition faction calls the sequence of lease steps not very transparent. They mention several expert reports and studies the town hall commissioned, but they did not lead to workable solutions. Some community members feel irritated by the approach: Why studies first, then gradual reductions — and now an offer with mandatory transfer of personnel?

Mayoral voices explain that the math is simple: better to forego lease income than let the infrastructure lie idle. Also, they say, the personnel issue is an old contract that the administration cannot easily dissolve. A classic compromise that does not please everyone.

What does this mean for Muro?

For locals, an open bar would be convenient: after training, a quick Café con leche, parents waiting for their children, a meeting place for senior groups. On the other hand, the financial risk is real — and who will undertake investments in the kitchen, furniture and hygiene requirements?

My tip, observed from close up: interested parties should read carefully, talk to the town hall, and run the numbers. 500 euros sounds like a gift. In truth it is an offer with conditions. Whether that is enough to bring life to the cafeteria remains to be seen in the coming months.