CARMENThe proposal ↗

BUENOS AIRES, BY WAY OF NEW YORK

CARMEN

The warmth of the fire.
The pleasure of staying.

Come inside ↓
PARRILLA · MOSTRADOR · PARA LLEVARA RESTAURANT CONCEPT / NEW YORK

01 / THE IDEA

A small room.
A generous spirit.

The elegance of an old Buenos Aires café. The intimacy of a Parisian counter. The unmistakable appetite of Argentina.

CARMEN brings exceptional grilled meat to a small, carefully considered room: polished wood, marble, soft bronze light and a little tango in the air.

Come for a cut of beef, a beautifully made sandwich, a conversation across the counter. The same kitchen sends a simpler pleasure home.

A concept in development. The rooms and food shown are generated design studies; no location is open or taking bookings.

02 / THE ROOM

Buenos Aires
after dark.

Mahogany. Oxblood leather. An old mirror.
The cook just across the marble.

8–10 COUNTER SEATSWARM SERVICEAN OPEN GRILL

THE DETAILS THAT MAKE IT OURS

Argentine soul.
Classic proportions.

01

The salon

Paneled wood and shaded lamps. A curved marble counter, comfortable leather seats and a discreet view of the working kitchen.

02

The culture

An original tango artwork. A considered music selection. The rituals of the parrilla and the generosity of a choripanería.

03

The arrival

A warm greeting and a proper place to sit. Delivery collection has its own space, so the room keeps its rhythm.

Generated Asado Sandwich concept with sliced grilled beef, provoleta and chimichurri

03 / THE SIGNATURE

The Asado
Sandwich.

The carve. The crisp edge of provoleta.
A green finish of chimichurri.

MADE TO REMEMBER

The first bite
should earn
the second visit.

Great bread. Beef worth talking about. A preparation you can recognize in a few seconds.

Salt Hank’s sharpens the brief: a hero product with a clear ritual. CARMEN’s version starts at the grill and finishes with Argentine flavor.

Our choripán has a fixed detail: the chorizo is split lengthwise, with chimichurri spread directly on the exposed cut faces inside the bread.

Recipes, portions and prices below are development proposals. The food still needs physical tastings and paid service tests.

SERVICE WITHOUT THE FUSS

A little ceremony.
A lot of care.

Good cutlery, linen and warm plates. Someone who knows the cut and can tell you why it is on the menu. An experience that feels personal at lunch and intimate after dark.

For delivery: a short menu, dependable portions, vented packaging and chimichurri where it belongs. Orders leave through a dedicated packing station.

Read the full concept ↗

05 / THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE ROOM

Make it desirable.
Make it work.

The counter and delivery earn different margins. Explore an illustrative mature month, then open the 12-month plan.

BASE / MATURE MONTH

Monthly sales
$144,300
Operating profit
$23,471
Break-even / combined daily orders
101

Contribution: $28.53 per store customer / $10.46 per delivery order.

Illustrative assumptions, not a forecast. Before income tax, depreciation, financing and founder distributions. The calculator is a mature month; the workbook includes the launch ramp, startup cash and operating reserves. Delivery ads, promotions, settlement delays and wine revenue are excluded. Capacity has not been tested.

OPENING CASH USES$260k
OPERATING RESERVE$115k
MODELED EQUITY$375k

Assumes an existing restaurant shell. A separate $15–25k residency test comes first. These are allowances, not construction or supplier quotations.

THE FIRST COMMITMENT

A residency
before an address.

Cook it. Sell it. Deliver it.
Watch who comes back.

Develop the recipes with a chef, run six to eight licensed services, test real transport times and measure contribution by channel. Search Manhattan and Brooklyn in parallel.

Then choose a site based on demonstrated demand, a workable kitchen and a funded downside plan.

THE REVIEW LIBRARY

For the conversation.

CARMEN / Concept & business planPositioning, Salt Hank’s reference, menu, operations, sites, capital and launch tests↗CARMEN / Financial modelEditable Excel · Two sales channels · Three cases · 12-month cash plan↓CARMEN / Visual directionClassic Argentine and Parisian interior, plated beef and packaging concept↗
Research & image notes

Inspiration: US Open’s Salt Hank interview. Price context: Keens and Porteño. Full sources and assumptions are in the report. No affiliation is implied.

Interior, packaging and food imagery are generated concepts. Image prompts and tool notes are included in the visual production notes. Names, premises, permits, recipes and commercial terms remain subject to validation.