Duffy's vs. Havana Blue

Joshua,

How did you go about getting interviews set up with the two restaurants before you arrive on island? Did you do a pmv trip or what? I still have till June 2007 until i move but i will have a degree in Hospitality and Restaurant Admin. and experience with bartending and serving so i hope that might be a plus. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Kyle

All the restaurants have slowed, but have been picking up recently per info I received from friends on island. I have dined at both places, but have not worked either one. I would pick Havana Blue hands down the better. Duffy's on STT has high turn over, maybe because they have bad management, but not sure. Havana Blue is on the beach at a resort. Duffy's on STT is in a parking lot near the ferry dock. If you work Havana Blue, they have 10 or more mojito recipes to learn and they are sooooooo good!!! Duffy's does have a better location on STJ, but still don't enjoy their food. You can eat a meal and have drinks for around $20 at Duffy's, at Havana Blue - more like $50 to start. Anyway, just felt like putting my two cents out there. Good luck with everything.

Teresa

Joshua - Duffy's sold their space on STJ and are still trying to sell their Frenchtown "Noche" restaurant which is still closed down, while their STT Red Hook location is also up for sale.

Havana Blue is apparently opening up a Red Hook restaurant with a "Thai" and sushi menu.

You need to be on island to make any sort of a decision, Duffy's ALWAYS has a huge staff turnover.

Cheers!

If I had to pick one of those, I would go with Havana Blue.

Duffy's treats their employees like crap, hence the turnover. Years of high turnover have conditioned management to always treat employees like it's their last week on island.

Whatever you do, I would take whatever offer you get and tell them you need a few days to think about it while you check out other places.

STTRes, the Duffy's divested themselves of Noche a few months ago. New ownership hasn't done anything yet and probably won't this season.

If I were new on island I would be checking out Yachthaven Grande. A few people I know involved with the project assure me that the 4 restaurants that they are opening there are going to be immensely popular.

I have a feeling Havana Blue needs you. I have friends who waited a half hour for drinks when it wasn't even busy and the bartender's excuse was "I guess I am just slow tonight." Huh? They said, never again.

Hey everyone, thanks for the input! I'm sure I'll know a bit more after having actually stepped foot on the island. There's only so much you can do online. Duffy's employees are really treated that poorly, eh? Wow. Rumor has it the money to be made bartending there is great.

How about from a strictly monetary standpoint? With my experience I'm fairly certain I can get a position in most places I apply. So, if I could go anywhere on STT to apply, where'd be the best?

As for how I went about getting interviews, I sent a cover letter and resume to each place. My cover letters were very personal and not at all stuffy. Do a little research about the place you're interested in online, maybe mention the obvious passion the owners have for the place. Basically don't cut and paste it out of a resume book, it'll get tossed n a heartbeat. Be original, and sending a pic to prove you don't look like "Scary serial killer guy" can't hurt. OF course, if you do look like that guy, the pic might not be such a good idea!

you probably already know this, but you need a health card in order to work in restaurant ?
my vote is if you are looking for money as far as bartending goes they both make good money. It just depends on what type of environment you want? High end or low end? I have known bartenders from both. Good luck!

Thanks Kelly- I'm thinking more high end. And I know about the card, but thanks for the heads up just in case!

-Joshua

Josh-If you PM me I will give you the email of my friend who was a bartender at HB just recently. He can answer a lot of your questions. My husband and I ate at HB a lot and enjoyed the atmosphere. I also worked on property at the Marriott and really liked the owners. Good luck!