The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian catering companies yesterday revealed mixed COVID-19 experiences for their businesses with performance dependent on their target market.

Kristin Cooper, owner/operator of Chocolate Express, told Tribune Business yesterday that the pandemic has been good for her small private catering firm with business having ““worked out” because “people want to celebrate life more”.

She explained: “Things are better with COVID-19 and it actually worked out for me. I’m a private caterer and people would call me, place an order and they pick it up or I deliver it to them.

“I would definitely say I do a lot of birthday events now, but while business has dropped off for me since 2019 I feel a lot more people have decided to celebrate life more, and they want to make sure every moment they are having now is the best.”

Most of Ms Cooper’s business originates between Thursday and Sunday, generating “12 to 15 customers”. She added: “People just want to live in the moment now.”

However, Philip Cooper, owner/operator of PMC Exclusive Cleaning & Professional Chef Services, said his business is not going well and he does not get the “celebrate life vibe”.

He added: “Nothing is going on because of COVID-19. Nobody wants people around their home and I can’t get any work because of the COVID pandemic”.

Many small businesses in the catering industry depend on gatherings and events to make a living. With the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing requirements and a 9pm curfew, trading has been made extremely difficult for them.

Mr Cooper added: “I’m not getting any type of celebration. There is no one celebrating anything here because everyone has deaths in their families, so I am not sure how anyone could be celebrating anything right now.”

“Business was steady in 2019. I worked at my own leisure and I was comfortable, but now it’s not. I get only three or four events on the weekends now, and its only private events.”

Most of Mr Cooper’s clients have left New Providence for the Family Islands, adding to the decline in private catering events. “I work two other jobs now, so I am surviving that way,” he said.

Janell Hart, owner/operator of Bahamian Cuisine & Delights Private Chef, said her experience was totally different. She said: “A lot of my business comes from tourists, so business had picked up for me earlier in the year. It has fallen off now due to the hurricane season. I expect it to pick back up within a month or so.”

Tourists visiting The Bahamas find her contact details online and get in touch with her. “Tourists want an authentic Bahamian-made dish. They want to taste our cuisine, so that is what I do for them,” she added.

Ms Hart said she does not work through the major hotels or resorts, but advertises her company on all the websites that travellers frequent such as Trip Advisor and even BahamasLocal. They see her business and what she has to offer, and call her up when they arrive in The Bahamas.

“I get more from the tourists. I push more for the tourists because I can give them more of a Bahamian cuisine and a taste of our Bahamian food.” Ms Hart said.