The Restaurant Guild denounces supermarkets with microwaves and stools for "usurpation"

BarcelonaThe Guild of Restoration has denounced 30 supermarkets in Barcelona for "intruding". In fact, it calls them mercaurants and assures that they do not comply with the regulations. They are all establishments of the company Mercadona that have spaces with tables and chairs – up to 30 seats and with microwaves – where customers can consume the cooked dishes they have just bought. "This contravenes the municipal ordinance on food trade which expressly prohibits the area between the access doors and the checkout counters from being used for any type of commercial or service activity", states the director of the Guild, Roger Pallarols, who calls them "low-cost restaurants". In parallel, the entity has once again sued 50 bakeries with tasting areas and has criticized the City Council for what they consider "irresponsible neglect".

"Today we take another step in the fight against intrusion and stand up to supermarkets that want to evolve towards the mercaurant, half shop and half restaurant", says Pallarols, who points out that this is the first complaint in Spain against mercaurants. "We have started with the Mercadona chain, but it is a practice that is spreading. In the coming weeks, we will extend this complaint to other establishments of other distribution brands", continues the director of the Guild of Restoration, who insists that this is a concept that "flagrantly" contravenes the municipal ordinance on food trade and that they are ghost restaurants.

"They are restoration spaces conceived and conditioned as such. They have tables, chairs, napkins, glasses, cutlery, bins for separating waste, and even microwaves. With capacity for up to 30 people", enumerates Pallarols, who calls on the Barcelona City Council to put an end to this practice and to sanction the supermarkets. "The council cannot demand compliance with certain rules from bars and restaurants, showing itself inflexible, and then exempt other establishments", says the director of the Guild of Restoration. "It is useless to have kind words for local and neighborhood restaurants if they are then forced to compete with the giants of distribution", Pallarols states.

Bakeries, in the spotlight

In parallel, the Barcelona Restaurant Guild continues its fight against bakeries with tasting areas and has reported on the results of the municipal inspection following the nearly 200 complaints filed by the entity. "The administration has put many obstacles in our way, but we have been able to access the inspection file of 22 bakeries with tasting areas in the Eixample, where up to 57 violations have been detected," points out Pallarols. "In almost all cases, the maximum capacity allowed by the 20-square-meter license was exceeded, and in more than half, the prohibition of selling alcoholic beverages was violated," says the director of the Restaurant Guild, who adds that in 12 out of the 22 establishments, they also sold products from other specialties and not permitted ones (croquettes, salads, etc.).

"There is not a single case where the inspection found everything in order," states Pallarols, who also points out that the list of violations would be much higher if other aspects had been inspected, such as public health, taxation, or labor issues of the workers. "Despite confirming the different violations, the Barcelona City Council has not initiated any sanctioning procedure and has not imposed any fine on the bakeries with tasting areas," criticizes the director of the Restaurant Guild, who expresses surprise at the "irresponsible neglect" of the council. "Violating the rules costs them nothing. The council must do some very serious reflection, as it has a duty to enforce the rules," reflects Pallarols.

In fact, the Restaurant Guild has once again filed a complaint against 50 bakeries with tasting areas for recidivism in their irregularities, despite having already reported them in 2024 or 2025. "We will continue to monitor all complaints filed, and if there is no action from the council, we will consider taking the files to the Prosecutor's Office," warns Pallarols. For their part, sources from the City Council explain that the council "will analyze the complaints" and that "the corresponding evaluation and action will be taken," in accordance with the municipal ordinance on food establishments and the Catalan law on trade, services, and fairs of Catalonia. Article 11 of this regulation, recalls the Barcelona local government, establishes the limits of tasting areas allowed in supermarkets and the products and services that can be offered.