The Heart of the City Group

A genuinely Vila-realense company belongs to Luís Manuel Camarada Rodrigues and Maria do Rosário F. Matias Rodrigues. They started their business activity in 1989, with the opening of the Cafeteria / Pastry / Restaurant "O Coração da Cidade ".


History:
In 1989 it was opened by the owners "O Coração da Cidade", on the main street of VRSA. known as "Avenida" or "rua das lojas", this is a bet on centrality with cafeteria / pastry / ice cream service and restaurant service with a menu of regional and diverse cuisine including local specialties, fresh meat and fish, pizzas and pasta.

In 1995, the Churrasqueira Arenilha Restaurant was inaugurated, in a house with Pombaline architecture, making a typical Vila-realense place cozy and refined. In 2002 the Group acquired and reopened the restaurant “O Coração do Marquês”, located in Praça Marquês de Pombal, the historic center of Vila Real de Santo António.

In 2001, it opened the Hospedaria Coração da Cidade , with 21 rooms with private bathroom and equipped with TV and air conditioning.

The Company, which for more than three decades has been providing an increasingly diverse range of quality services in the hotel and restaurant industry, in 2004 opened a Pastry and Bakery Factory O Coração Doce , thus marking a benchmark at an industrial level.

The Coração Doce factory ensures its own production of pizzas, bread, regional cakes and ice creams, recovering old traditional recipes from Vila Real de Santo António, for parties and special events. These products are sold in the Group's establishments and distributed to an increasing number of hotels and restaurants in the Algarve.

The factory has the maximum hygiene conditions, qualified workers in professional training courses in partnership with IEFP, carried out before the opening of the establishment, high quality raw materials are used.

The Group has systematically sought innovation and diversification of activities, focused on customer satisfaction.

It has acquired several establishments that have been remodeled and refitted with a view to improving its image and the services provided, always seeking customer satisfaction with quality products. ( The Heart of Maquês, Churrasqueira Arenilha, A Casa do Bacalhau and Vila Caseira ).
The Coração da Cidade group has developed several Take-away outlets with home delivery.

Like the rest of the Group's establishments in the food sector, the Factory is implementing the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Control Critical Point) standard, which guarantees high quality and food safety.

Grupo Coração da Cidade was considered a Leading Company by IAPMEI during the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The Heart of the City Group was awarded by Turismo de Portugal with the PME Excellence Award during the years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and the SME Excellence Merit Award that distinguishes the companies awarded for 5 consecutive years, being the only Company in the Municipality of Vila Real de Santo António with such distinction.

The key products of the group are the handmade ice cream Rosário and Pombalino a cake that reflects the replacement of the historical recipe of the cake that accompanied the founding of the city of Vila Real de Santo António.