Rubén, a 39-year-old man from Madrid decided to make a 180-degree turn in his work life when he was working (with stable employment) as a computer consultant. He managed to start his own business. And not just any one, but a pokebar, a fashionable place with which it makes 760,000 euros a year thanks to the sale of more than 2,000 pokes a month, a figure that rises in high season such as summer and holidays. In Eric Ponce’s podcast, on YouTube, this young man from Madrid explained what it was like to start from scratch, investing all his savings in an idea with which he has been so successful that it is now expanding, adding four stores in total.
But not everything was so simple, as he dedicated himself to the IT sector, he had no experience in hospitality. He didn’t do any market research and his bank account was at zero. “I had to sell the car and the motorcycle”. Now he is the director of four pokebars under the Goso Poke brand, three in Donosti and one in Zarauz, but he already has his next goal, which is to expand his business to Vitoria and the south of France.
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His story was the same as that of many self-employed workers, although in his job as a computer scientist he earned a good salary. Suddenly, he felt overwhelmed by stress and excessively long work hours that did not allow him to balance his personal life. He claims that he felt “very burned.”
The desire to start a business was awakened when he tried a poke dish in Madrid, which he loved and immediately thought that taking that idea to San Sebastián, where he lived, would be perfect. He had the support of his friend Diego, who also knew the owner of the place where he had discovered this food, typical of Hawaii.
Initial investment of between 75,000 and 100,000 euros
In the interview, Rubén states that opening a pokebar costs between 75,000 and 100,000 euros in initial investment. This money includes the furniture, the work to be done, the machinery, the stock and a mattress to cover the expenses of the first months. “Any location will do, because it does not need to have a smoke outlet, which reduces costs and licenses.”
The first premises involved an investment of between 60,000 and 75,000 euros, depending on the state in which the property was located. The main one, which is in the center of Donostia, has a surface area of 90 square meters and pays rent around 2,800 euros per month.
“San Sebastián is expensive, but you sell more because you are close to La Concha beach and in the city center,” he says.
In 2024 it had a turnover of 760,000 euros, with a profitability of 20%
During the first year in which the pokebar was in operation, 760,000 euros were invoiced with an average profitability of 20% ETBIDA (which is the financial indicator that shows the ability of a company to generate profits based on its main activity). This is double that of most businesses dedicated to traditional hospitality.
In the summer months, when the high season in the sector occurs, turnover increases, reaching 210,000 euros per month between its four stores. “This business is wonderful for anyone who wants to invest because it does not depend on you being present, but on the operation working.”
The amortization of the initial investment has been achieved quickly, “in less than two years, we recovered the first location in a year and a half,” he assures.
Fixed expense of 18,000 euros per month
Analyzing the benefits, a series of expenses also appear that are fixed and the businessman must pay monthly. As he points out in the podcast, this is around 18,000 euros per month, distributed in rent, which costs about 2,800 euros, personnel which represents 8,000 euros in contributions and salaries and raw materials (35% of what is earned).
To achieve this high profitability, Rubén explains that his product is having great acceptance among customers, selling about 2,000 units per month, with an average ticket of between 17 and 18 euros, which rises to 20 if it is a home delivery service.
When the ‘good’ months arrive, during high season and when there are more tourists, this figure also rises, adding more than 4,000 pokes in a single location. To meet this demand, each location has between 3 and 5 workers hired, who start preparing the food in the morning, cooking rice, cutting the fruits and arranging the other ingredients.
“The important thing is the operation, if everything works well, like a machine, and the process is well designed, the owner does not need to be there.” It also has quality products. “We are on top of the rice, the color of the salmon or the mango being just right. When we find a pineapple that is green, we call the supplier, quality is what builds customer loyalty.”
Their plan is to continue growing
In 2019, the first Goso Poke opened in San Sebastián with a luxury premiere, where “more than 200 pokes were sold, and the next day, another 200. That summer we invoiced up to 50,000 euros per month.”
Then, in 2020, the pandemic arrived “we had only one location, I delivered orders with my motorcycle, we didn’t have Glovo.” Despite that, they managed to move forward. This gives you strength to move forward. “I would ride it again, without a doubt,” he says. “The key is to control operations, take care of the brand and understand that in this business, the small details are what make you great.”