Questions About Iran #3.5

[Omid]

I have a question about business in Iran. Really how hard is it to go and open a business of some sort? like a restaurant for example? I'm Iranian and have some good ideas and I just don't know if it will even be worth it if there is so much hassle involved and a lot of running around.

[shugs]

Hey Omid

So lets say you have the necessary cash injection for such a project already covered. For a restaurant you need the necessary licenses from the government to such a business.. Not too difficult to obtain other than dealing with Iranian bureaucracy which can be tricky just because they send you to different places for no apparent reason... So you need to put in the necessary leg work! Oh one thing if by any chance you're one of the religions that the government does not recognise (Baha'i, Budhist, etc.) they won't grant you a license.

Location is a debated issue... a friend of mine who has a deli on Jamazadeh once told me if you set up two pizzerias in Tehran, one in balah shahr, lets say Vanak and one pahin shahr lets say Shapur... Selling exactly the same recipe and clearly the same franchise.. depending on which gets the good reputation it could go either way... the one in Shapur could gain the better reputation and be rammed all the time while the one in Vanak begins to fail. So just for selling food you can make money in any busy location.

It all depends on what sort of eatery you want to establish... if it's high end Iranian cuisine or foreign food... fast food, sushi bar, cafe etc. For the high end cuisine you defiantly want to look at establishing in balah shahr or at least further north than Azadi... nice location, surroundings, cater to non-Iranians (like Restaurant-e Alborz). Oh this is all assuming if you even want to establish in Tehran! I should have asked first, oh well lol. Rest assured restaurants are my thing, not because I like my food (because I do) but it's my parents industry of choice.

[Omid]

Originally Posted by shugs

Hey Omid

So lets say you have the necessary cash injection for such a project already covered. For a restaurant you need the necessary licenses from the government to such a business.. Not too difficult to obtain other than dealing with Iranian bureaucracy which can be tricky just because they send you to different places for no apparent reason... So you need to put in the necessary leg work! Oh one thing if by any chance you're one of the religions that the government does not recognise (Baha'i, Budhist, etc.) they won't grant you a license.

Location is a debated issue... a friend of mine who has a deli on Jamazadeh once told me if you set up two pizzerias in Tehran, one in balah shahr, lets say Vanak and one pahin shahr lets say Shapur... Selling exactly the same recipe and clearly the same franchise.. depending on which gets the good reputation it could go either way... the one in Shapur could gain the better reputation and be rammed all the time while the one in Vanak begins to fail. So just for selling food you can make money in any busy location.

It all depends on what sort of eatery you want to establish... if it's high end Iranian cuisine or foreign food... fast food, sushi bar, cafe etc. For the high end cuisine you defiantly want to look at establishing in balah shahr or at least further north than Azadi... nice location, surroundings, cater to non-Iranians (like Restaurant-e Alborz). Oh this is all assuming if you even want to establish in Tehran! I should have asked first, oh well lol. Rest assured restaurants are my thing, not because I like my food (because I do) but it's my parents industry of choice.

Wow, kheili mamnoon! another thing is what if i still havent done my military services?? that basically means i will have no luck in getting the licenses i need...do you by any chance know how much many is needed roughy to open up a restuarant? like $30,000 will be too much/little..i know many factors play upon the investment, but just wanting to get a very rough estimate...

[shugs]

It all depends on the scale of the business you want to open... More than enough for fast food and a small/medium restaurant in Central Tehran... Probably need more if you want to head further north where the lease price heads into the $100,000+ territory for a restaurant sized property. You can buy your national service for $5k

[Omid]

Originally Posted by shugs

It all depends on the scale of the business you want to open... More than enough for fast food and a small/medium restaurant in Central Tehran... Probably need more if you want to head further north where the lease price heads into the $100,000+ territory for a restaurant sized property. You can buy your national service for $5k

About buying the military service-how do you buy it exactly?? Because I remember last year I asked my uncle to see if I can buy it or not and when he went and asked they said they arent doing it anymore! It seems like somedays they're selling it somedays they are not!!

[shugs]

Originally Posted by Omid

About buying the military service-how do you buy it exactly?? Because I remember last year I asked my uncle to see if I can buy it or not and when he went and asked they said they arent doing it anymore! It seems like somedays they're selling it somedays they are not!!

Check out this thread for your answer: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=681116

Personally i don't know 100% if they are selling it right now or not.

[eduardo90]

I have a question I don't know if anyone has already asked but what happens to homosexuals in Iran?...they already told me homosexuality is forbidden but what happens to the people that are gay do they keep it a secret forever or get put to prison or what?

[Libra]

Originally Posted by eduardo90

I have a question I don't know if anyone has already asked but what happens to homosexuals in Iran?...they already told me homosexuality is forbidden but what happens to the people that are gay do they keep it a secret forever or get put to prison or what?

Complicated question.

[TEHR_IR]

Hello, Gays in Iran can be executed if 3 people can aprove it that the person is gay but most of the gays leave the country or make them selves transexual or keep it secret

[eduardo90]

Wow!!!so you can be killed just for being gay haha and I always thought Latin American countries were intolerant to homosexuals well then I guess im not going to Iran because I was planning to go with some friends to a Middle Eastern country and I thought maybe Iran since it is one of the most developed and safe countries in the Middle East but one of my friends is gay and I don't want him to get killed haha...anways thanks for the info

[alitezar]

Originally Posted by TEHR_IR

Hello, Gays in Iran can be executed if 3 people can aprove it that the person is gay but most of the gays leave the country or make them selves transexual or keep it secret

No, only if 3 people see you having S*X. Not that if they know you are gay they execute you. Otherwise that way alot of guys will be executed because they are too girly or put make up on and there is a lot of them in Iran.

[Hawa Beirut]

as long as it's not public and no body knows. it's safe ,no body will take u from home

[TEHR_IR]

ok sorry my fault :s

[gole_hayahou]

umm...it has to be 3 MEN...women are treated differently when it comes to witnesses.

[Omid]

hey guys, im going to iran in a couple weeks and i was wondering are those currency exchange booths open at Imam Khomeini airport late at night? because I'll be arriving around 3am and I'm going to need to get a taxi to get to where I'm going so I;m going to need some tomans. (i want to avoid giving them dollars:p)

[sarbaze tabarestan]

if u nod have money give the taxi driver some originell marlboro or a present wort of 15 dollars and he will drive u

[shugs]

bureau de change will most likely be closed at 3am

[Omid]

Originally Posted by shugs

bureau de change will most likely be closed at 3am

so if its closed, are there any places here in the US or online that will sell rials?

[shugs]

I'm not entirely sure but you might be able to pay in foreign currency at the airport taxi office... You pay beforehand there anyway...

[SeyMan]

Is lesbianism allowed in Iran? If not, do they execute proven lesbians?