Supermarket Association: Restaurants changing to groceries – a sign of desperation

President of the Supermarkets Association (SATT) Rajiv Diptee said nothing was wrong with food establishments turning themselves into supermarkets, as long as it was done legally.

He told Newsday the covid19 restrictions imposed on the food and beverages sector have pushed people to the point of desperation.

“People are desperate to get back to work and some form of operations, so they are looking at what is legally available under the current regulations, which is a bit unfortunate.

“I think that people are looking at El Pecos because they are very popular, but to my knowledge there has not been other food establishments doing the same thing.”

Diptee was commenting on El Pecos Grill on Ariapita Avenue in Port of Spain, which is now doing business as a supermarket with grocery items, as well as its traditional meals in a pre-packaged “grab-and-go" style.

“I think that the legal interpretation is what needs to be looked at. Most importantly, as long as they are able to abide by the confines of the law, then they are within their remit to do so. Once their registration documents are in place and proper documentations can be supplied to the authorities, to satisfy the law, then that is normal.”

The owners — Suzanne and Richard Camacho — told Newsday the business has been registered as supermarket and has all the documents from the Registrar General that accredit it as a supermarket, dated June 24, 2021.

Diptee said it was time for government to reopen all sectors of society on a phased basis as vaccines became more available.

“I do understand the urgency, and at the same time I have appealed to the government to reconsider the food service sector at this time.”

The Pharmacy Board has also granted 25-30 licences to new pharmacy operators since March 2020. Like supermarkets, pharmacies are among the very few businesses allowed to open at present under the public health regulations.

Its president Andrew Rahaman told Newsday it had received a proliferation of applications over that period from a cross-section of businesses that were not allowed to open because of the c0vid19 pandemic restrictions.

“I am the person who grants the licence, so they have to apply. People were now setting up their establishments — retail clothing stores, variety stores, etc — as a pharmacy. They are getting all the legal necessities, the equipment, the references books, shelving, cupboards and locks as required, getting pharmacists.

“This is no fly-by-night thing. They are applying for a pharmacy licence, because if the police come, they want to see the relevant documents, because to the police’s best knowledge these people operated differently and were required to be closed.”

Rahaman said businesses were desperate to operate and therefore pivoted to stay afloat in the pandemic.

“We have not bent the laws in any way, but have facilitated people who wanted to open pharmacies, through strict consultations. We have not reduced any stringent requirement to facilitate them. They need to do exactly what everyone else has done to get through.”

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young, at a media briefing at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, Port of Spain, on Thursday, warned businesses about trying to circumvent the public health regulations. He appeared to take a different view.

Young said the regulations were established to protect people, and where people and establishments broke the law it would be a case of “Peter will pay for Paul.”

“The government doesn’t want to stop people from doing things," he said. "We’re doing this because we got advice from the public health experts who have given us good advice for the past year-plus and looking at the science and doing our own reading, etc.

“If you’re a restaurant that sells food on the Avenue or anywhere else, don’t just put some bread and call yourself a bakery. The police will have a good case against you. You’re breaking the law.”