In the family, the idea of starting a business had been there for a long time. First, it was with the defunct Sensa music bar in Castelldefels. But it wasn't until almost 20 years ago that brothers Marcos and Ángel Casanovas planted the seed of what is today the Lancaster restaurant group, in which leisure and the Baix Llobregat area have always been very present.
The first of them all was Lancaster, on Castelldefels beach. That's how the fusion began, as Marcos calls it, between tapas at midday and drinks at night. "We have always combined gastronomy with fun," emphasizes the group's CEO. They thus combined the experience of one of the brothers as a cook for years in many restaurants with that of the other in the nightlife world. It was the first of a saga of Lancaster restaurants; the second opened in the interior of Castelldefels, with lunch and dinner service, and the third, in Gavà Mar.
That first saga was redirected, with the closure of the original establishment due to neighbors' complaints, and the second, because the urban area does not have the same life as the seafront. "The difference is tremendous. We decided that everything we were going to set up from that moment on was going to be on the beachfront," Marcos recalls. They concentrated on the Lancaster Beach Club in Gavà Mar and, with the arrival of a new partner, Albert Estragués, the beach bars arrived, debuting with Carita Morena in Castelldefels. Some time before, Sergio Cocera, also a cook, had joined as a partner, gradually building a group that was beginning to grow.
The list quickly grew: the Casanova Beach Club, also in Castelldefels, and another beach bar, Mosquito, in Viladecans, arrived. Just before the pandemic, they added the Embarcadero restaurant, located again in the group's hometown. After overcoming the pause due to COVID, it was also time to incorporate more establishments, the Mamut Beach Club, in Viladecans, and La Xancla, in Les Botigues de Sitges. No less than seven establishments that billed about seven million euros last year and employ 230 workers. On weekends, when the weather permits and doesn't resist like this year, the clientele reaches 2,400 diners.
With that acceleration, it has been necessary to rest everything in recent years. The Lancaster group has entered a stage of consolidation, but also of organizing so that nothing is left behind. It has been necessary to set up an accounting department and have purchasing and event managers. "To grow more you have to organize," Marcos summarizes, now more focused on kitchen management, thinking about the preparation of menus and dishes.
Obviously, new possibilities are opening up, although it is still too early to know them. It's time to reform the Casanova Beach Club. Also on the table is giving more weight to the afternoon scene, now that it is increasingly difficult for people to go out for drinks at night. For now, extending the afternoons now in summer can be done at La Xancla and Mamut Beach Club. In winter, it's the turn for the Casanova Beach Club, with a pool included where paellas are a must but you can also try the infallible Japanese gastronomy.