Chief Sec tells vendors: Good service critical to food hub's success

THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine told a gathering of small entrepreneurs on Monday that they must always practise good customer service when selling their products to locals and foreigners.

He was delivering the feature address at the opening of the Shaw Park Food Hub. The theme of the event was All Things Tobago.

The hub, on Orange Hill Road, near the Shaw Park Cultural Complex, is meant to be a centre for commercial activity not just for local, agro-processed products but also for art and craft, indigenous cuisine and entertainment. It is a collaboration between the Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development and the Tobago Agri-Business Development Company.

Augustine said customer service is critical to the success of the hub.

“I pray to God that the food hub does not adopt traditional market-vendor behaviour… that we are able to evolve in the way we treat people,” he said. “Treat every Tobagonian that comes to your stall the same way you will treat a foreigner or – let me put in plainly – treat every Tobagonian that comes to your stall the same way your would treat a white man with a foreign accent.

“And be reminded that every Trinidadian that walks through this space is in fact a tourist too, and they must be treated as tourists.”

Saying Tobagonians and Trinidadians may not always agree “on the political side,” Augustine added, “You see, when it comes to our space, we must treat them with dignity and treat them with love and keep them coming back, because they are tourists too, and deserve our best customer service.”

He told the entrepreneurs they should not be discouraged by low sales.

“I encourage you to keep pressing on. There will be days that you will come here and the sales will be very low. You might come here a day and wouldn’t make $100 or $200...But there will be days you will come here and be overwhelmed and all your goods will be sold.”

The point, he said, was: "Good entrepreneurs stick to it.

"Keep consistency with the quality of your product. Keep producing every bene ball, every pone, loaf of bread, produce it with all the love you can put into it, so that when you are giving that product you are giving the best of yourself.”

He said they should always bear in mind that the patron with whom they are interacting will be getting an example of what Tobago has to offer.

“You might be their only impression of Tobago.”

Augustine said the Shaw Park hub will bring some liveliness back to Scarborough.

“For a while, Scarborough became a place where you catch a car to go somewhere else to the action. But what this is doing is providing avenues in our capital that people will want to stay and engage each other.”

He added the initiative is in sync with the global trend of gastronomic tourism (travellers visiting for the sake of sampling new foods characteristic of that place),

“That has become a signal component of tourism the world over, because you recognise that gastronomic tourism provides visitors with opportunities to create unique and memorable experiences that will highlight kitchen cultures and local and regional foods.”

Augustine said gastronomic tourism also promotes an understanding of different cultures.“There is no better way to share your culture with people than with a plate of food. In one plate of food, someone can understand so much about a people.”

He said it is emerging as one of the most important sub-sectors of the tourism industry globally.

The hub, which is 80 per cent complete, will soon offer facilities for dirt-oven baking. Bleachers are to be built on its periphery for outdoor events

Augustine suggested provisions be made for Wifi access and wide-screen monitors for patrons so that they can enjoy sports, especially with the World Cup just around the corner. He also suggested a playpark for children.

Similar food hubs are being planned for Roxborough and Mason Hall.

Augustine said the division is preparing to rehabilitate the Botanical Gardens in Scarborough.