RESTAURANTS, casinos and cinemas are preparing to open next Monday to vaccinated patrons even though some operators are still grappling with time constraints and the inability to sell alcohol.
Speaking with Newsday on Thursday, chef Brigette Jospeh, co-founder of the Food and Beverage Association said some restaurant owners will wait to see how others operate in the safe zone before deciding to join the concept.
For the time being, they will remain open for curb side pick up only. The association has a 300-strong membership.
Under the safe zone concept, businesses including restaurant, bars, gyms, water parks, cinemas and casinos will be allowed to open only to vaccinated customers, must be operated by owners and staff who are fully vaccinated, must operate only at 50 per cent of normal capacity and must conform to the set curfew hours.
“One concern is staffing. You will need someone dedicated to ensuring that the restaurant is at 50 per cent capacity and that those entering have valid vaccination cards,” Joseph said.
[caption id="attachment_917814" align="alignnone" width="1024"] COB-WEBBING: Trizette James cob-webs the ceiling of the Silver Dollar Casino in Shirvan Plaza, Tobago in preparation for the opening of business safe zones - which includes casinos - on Monday. PHOTO BY DAVID REID -[/caption]
She added that some of the association's member restaurants have reported vaccine hesitancy by staff.
Another issue is the 10 pm start for the curfew which will force restaurants to close by 7-8 pm in order to allow staff to clean up, prep for the following day and also head home.
Omar Hadeed, part owner of the Domino’s and Pita Pit franchise, said his businesses will remain curb side only as this has been their strongest selling strategy even before the pandemic.
He said that with fines for any breach of the rules in safe zones being very high and with some issues still unclear, he does not want to run the risk of breaching the safe zone rules.
Sherry Persad, president of the TT Members Club Association, said her members are ready to re-open, although the curfew hours are of concern since their business model caters to late night patrons. She said while casinos don’t sell alcohol, it is served as part of the food and beverage fare for playing clients and the ban on public alcohol consumption, could negatively impact members' business.
Movietowne owner Derek Chin said while he intends to open on Monday, policing patrons will be difficult since his workers will not have an official database to verify whether or not a customer has a valid vaccination card. He too raised concerns about the 10 pm curfew since most patrons attend cinema in the evening and night.
He pointed out that the latest instalment of the James Bond franchise is a movie that is two hours and 40 minutes long and this plus the time needed to clean up after a movie, the latest this can be played is at 6 pm.
Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants & Tourism Association president Hassel Thom said it is trickier for hotels to immediate
