Udecott chair denies evicting Breakfast Shed vendors

THE Femmes Du Chalet (Breakfast Shed), which has been in existence since the early 1900s serving food to people in the city, has closed its doors, leaving many former patrons with mixed reactions.

Udecott recently issued a demand letter for rent from tenants of the 12 stalls, which amounted to close to $2 million.

Udecott chairman Shankar Bidaisee told Newsday on September 29 that staff visited the Breakfast Shed and will provide him with a report on the food court.

However, he noted that Udecott did not evict any of the tenants, they were simply alerted to the money owed.

“They are owing money. That is a fact,” Bidaisee said. “My staff wrote them and made a demand for the outstanding arrears, telling them they have to pay this thing because it is building up too much. That’s it.

“I was then called by a newspaper telling me that the people were leaving. No one asked them to leave. We didn’t evict anybody. We made a demand for the money as my staff are supposed to do.”

While some said the food court was a convenient location for local cuisine, others noted a desperate need for upgrading the facility,

“I am surprised, but the Breakfast Shed isn’t as popular as it used to be,” said a ferry worker named Toussaint. “For the time they had it there, plenty of outlets had been closed down. There were just about three outlets that were running for about two or three years."

“I thought maybe they were not making enough money or the rent was too high,” said another worker. “I wasn’t sure what was going on. Still I was surprised to see it (closed). It was a good spot for people who worked by the Hyatt or the waterfront complex or who were here on vacation. This was a number-one place. When you hear Breakfast Shed, this is where you think about.”

One person who works at the waterfront said she used to patronise the Breakfast Shed, but started buying elsewhere.

“I find the food there too greasy,” she said. “There are people who would go there regularly and stay to have lunch and enjoy the scenery. There are a lot of other food places we can go to.”

“It had a bad scent, so that is what turned me off,” said another worker. “I did buy there in the past. The conditions there were really bad too. They need to upgrade the facilities.”

Another patron noted that there was little that could really be said to keep the Breakfast Shed open if the tenants do not pay the rent.

“They have to pay. There is very little we as customers can do about that. We can find other places for food. It is not a niche market, people would go other places to get food.”