How Lisbon became home for Stuart’s family and his restaurant
Client Overview: Background at a Glance
Stuart and his business partner, Josh Ward, had spent years working together in the music industry before opening their first restaurant – a NY style dive bar / restaurant serving pizza by the slice called Palms Pizzeria. Located in the hipster seaside town of Margate, just outside of London, the restaurant was a hit from the get-go and what started as a side project quickly escalated into more of a full-time project.
When it came to expanding, they were more excited about the idea of taking the brand international rather than elsewhere in the UK. “We didn’t want to do London yet and each time we leaned into other locations within the UK, we felt a bit uninspired”.
After exploring various locations within Europe the pair quickly settled on Lisbon.
“We both loved Lisbon having spent a lot of time in the city and felt the concept made sense here. Obviously it’s not a city short on pizza but our offering is a bit of a different beast.”
The pair have aspirations to grow the brand into Europe and Lisbon has also served as a strong base for conversations moving forward.
United Kingdom
Portugal (Lisbon)
Portugal D7 Visa
Family life and business expansion
Juggling business and family
Beyond professional aspirations both Stuart and Josh were also looking to spend less time in the UK for personal reasons, and Stuart was looking for a better lifestyle for his wife, and their two young daughters.
The move to Lisbon needed to balance both business growth and family life.
What stood out for Stuart was the clarity of the process with GCS.
“We started the process in July 2024, had our first appointment in London in October, moved in January, and had our second appointment at AIMA in April. We received residency about a month ago. As far as these processes go, it was paperwork-heavy, but fine. GCS was really clear and on it throughout the whole thing.”
GCS managed the D7 visa application, guiding the family step by step through paperwork and appointments. By handling the administration, GCS enabled Stuart to keep his focus on the restaurant expansion.
While GCS handled the immigration side, Stuart and Josh concentrated on setting up Palms Lisbon. The family settled into a local nursery and later enrolled their daughters at Colégio Luso Suíço, just up the road from the restaurant.
Both Stuart and Josh approached the D7 Visa with clear goals: relocate their respective families to Lisbon and open Palms first international location.
The Core of Our Solution
GCS managed the application timeline, paperwork, and appointments, ensuring the family could focus on their move. From preparing documents in London to attending appointments with AIMA in Lisbon, communication was clear and efficient.
This hands-on guidance reduced the usual bureaucracy and gave Stuart the headspace to move ahead with business planning at the same time.
As Stuart put it: “The process was admin heavy but went smoothly for us. GCS was clear throughout the whole process.”
Delivering Measurable Client Gains
Setting up Palms in Lisbon came with small delays around licensing and paperwork but overall moved fairly fast. “We got the keys in March and opened at the end of July, so all things considered it was a fairly swift process.”
“It’s a beautiful city, we love learning the language and being among such a melting pot of people and cultures. We feel very privileged to be living here.”
“Lisbon is the first step in aspirations to expand Palms internationally and provides a really strong base for those networking and fundraising conversations. We love our location and the community here.”