Restaurants & Nightclubs Division

2007/2008 Chairman’s Report

Chairman: Walter Simmons

This is my first report as Chairman and I would, therefore, like to take this opportunity to thank our past chairman, Mr. Phillip Barnett, for his many years of diligence in keeping our division strong in the Chamber as well as for his subsequent guidance and support, helping me in my new role as Chairman.

Our division will face many challenges in the future and our need to stay focused and strong needs to be seen as a collective strength in the business community and Government.

Chamber meetings

This is one of my biggest concerns. If we move forward it must be together. You and your business are part of the chamber; without you the chamber will not exist. So it is imperative that we all try and attend scheduled meetings. I'll be the first to admit how difficult it is sometimes getting away, but we cannot have a small few directing the course our division takes in the future. Every effort should be made to attend meetings or at least send a representative for your business so that you may have a voice.

Recruitment of Bermudians into our industry

One of our main focuses this year and into the future should be creating a task force, working with any other agency (Government, The Hospitality Learning Centre etc.), to put together a plan of action to try and bring Bermudians back into the restaurants.

We all know how challenging this is going to be but there is definitely an incorrect perception in the community that we, restaurateurs, don't want Bermudians which we all know NOT to be the case. The work that Teresa Chatfield and MEF Ltd. does undoubtedly spearheads all current activity in this area and it is my hope that we as a group can make positive strides in the future to welcome as many Bermudians into our establishments.

Immigration

This is probably your greatest concern when planning adequate staffing to run your business. I could probably write a six page paper on this one issue alone but we must continually express our concerns to the Government through the one voice of the Chamber. We held a very positive meeting with the Minister and expressed our concerns and he seemed to be genuine in his response to us and our needs. The recent admittance that the Department of Immigration is broken is surely the first step, previously ignored, in improving all facets of dealing with this Government Department.

We look forward to the Labour Minister’s decision being implemented regarding his willingness to issue seasonal work permits to restaurant workers, where previously this only applied to hotels.

Entertainment

There is no doubt that Bermuda’s restaurants are now the main source of nightlife and entertainment. It is my intention to invite Mr. Wendell “Shine” Hayward to our next division meeting so that he may give us a complete picture of the local entertainers. What one must understand is that we need to provide our guests the type of entertainment and music they wish to hear. If it be Rock and Roll, Reggae or Country, this has to be the main focus when it comes to hiring and if you cannot find a local then it should not be so difficult recruiting from overseas. Bermuda is still considered a Tourist destination and we all know that when the sun sets in Bermuda so does the entertainment.

Policing & Safety

A good discussion was had at a meeting early last year with Chief Inspector Weekes. He outlined numerous efforts the police make in keeping areas safe, especially those that directly affect visitors. The Tourist Police Team normally starts in April and I will be making the necessary enquiries as to whether this will be the case this year.

The Bottle Bill

Government will be introducing this bill in an effort to reduce the amount of littering of the many glass bottles used to distribute the various soft drinks, beer and wine that is sold on the island. A Beverage Container Deposit System may be used yet while this is aimed at the personal user we must, as a group of business operators, stay fully aware of all repercussions of this bill as our establishments use a great number of these glass bottles that will be targeted. There will be costs involved which will certainly affect us. This topic, therefore, will be one that remains on our division’s agenda.

Going forward, I hope to encourage new members to join us and trust you will support me in this ever-challenging endeavour! I feel positive that we can make great improvements if we work together, to help our businesses grow and prosper. Even though we all have our own individual businesses, and possibly feel that we are helping our competitors, we must concentrate

Contact Information:

Walter Simmons
Chairman RD
Tel:295-5759
Fax: 296-0166
e-mail: montysrestaurant@myoffice.bm