The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A Sandy Port restaurant proprietor last night said he will introduce a new sushi shack product when he re-opens this week, with staff "incredibly excited” to be back with the return of outdoor dining.

Jacques Carlino, owner/operator of the Blue Sail Bar & Grill, told Tribune Business of the Prime Minister's announcement: “I am happy. I think this is all very good. We are glad to be back at it. I am just now having a WhatsApp chat with my team, and my team is incredibly excited.”

Dr Hubert Minnis, in his latest COVID-19 national address, said: “Outdoor dining may resume at restaurants and at Fish Fry’s [Arawak Cay and Potter's Cay] from Monday to Saturday.”

However, several sources questioned why outdoor dining is being permitted on six days per week but not on Sunday. The Prime Minister said only drive-through and takeaway services will be allowed on Sunday - a move that will be greeted by fast food restaurants and others set up to cater to these niches, but not those establishments focused on outdoor/indoor dining.

And it did not escape the notice of several private sector observers, spoken to by Tribune Business, that while hotels are now being allowed to offer indoor dining their competitors catering to a domestic audience cannot. This is likely to again prompt accusations from some quarters of discrimination and unequal treatment.

Mr Carlino, though, was focused on the positives. He said: “We are glad to get back. We are on the beach now, so we go back today to make the place look fabulous. But I think we will open up on Wednesday because I want the bad weather to pass over.

"The exciting thing for us is that I have been working on something since last December, and I’m introducing a Sushi house at the restaurant, so I am doing Blue Sail sushi. I have been waiting to introduce it because I did not want to do it during the lockdown, because it was like an emergency situation and I have worked too hard.

"Then there was the issue of getting the work permit for my chef, my equipment coming in was stalled and everything. So we are very excited that we are restarting with the new sushi shack on the beach. This is brand new to Blue Sail. I have really wanted to do this for a long time, so I have a new chef coming in especially for this. It’s a shack on the beach so people can see the sushi being made in front of them. It’s very exciting," he added.

“This is the first time I am making this official. I have not told anybody until now because I wasn’t ready yet, as I was waiting on my work permit. So I am very excited now that with the lockdown over I can finally introduce my new sushi shack.”

Mr Carlino said he will be introducing new items to the menu, including gold leaves and truffles, adding that he is going "Fully Monty” and introducing the “smoked truffle".

“The chef is here and we are ready to go,” said Mr Carlino. “All of us have to make sure we follow the rules and follow all of the protocols so we don’t get closed again. I think that most important for all of the business owners is that we all must remember to adhere to protocols, follow them and get customers to follow so we don’t have another lockdown. As a population we need to behave.”