Jamaican restaurant in Corner Brook now serving daycare

A Corner Brook restaurant, Taste of Jamaica, is trying to make Friday date nights easier by offering to watch and entertain kids while parents enjoy a meal.

According to chef Kirk Myers the idea comes from customer feedback. 

Myers said he often hears from customers that the extra planning and cost to get a babysitter often prevents plans for a night out. 

"This could be a niche market for us to venture into and to also assist," said Myers, who along with restaurant owner Raymond Thomas, came up with the idea to start providing in-house babysitting on Friday nights.

Restauranteur and entertainer

Thomas and his spouse are going to watch the kids downstairs in the restaurant's lounge area while the parents dine upstairs. 

The kids will watch movies on a 200-inch projection screen, and sing and dance with a karaoke machine — all of that topped off with a dessert.

The babysitting service — which starts May 5 — is free, but if the kids want food it'll be $5 for one child, and $8 for two. 

Since this is a new idea, Thomas wanted to be the one in charge of babysitting duties.

"There's a lot of risks involved to take on the responsibilities of watching someone's kids," he said, adding that he wanted a first hand perspective of what to expect from the new service, just in case they eventually ask staff members to be babysitters. 

Spicing things up

It's no secret that Taste of Jamaica has struggled to find its groove in the city, which is frustrating for both Thomas and Myers.

The two say that 70 percent of their customers are tourists.

"Right now, it's for Corner Brook to recognize that you have an unique product here that is nowhere else," Thomas said. "Everybody else thinks this is the best thing since sliced cheese, but Corner Brook doesn't realize it."

Myers admitted that it's been frustrating at times trying to get locals into the doors but he really hopes it will turn around.

"We're just trying to hold on as long as possible so that individuals can actually see and be proud of a product that is not just a Jamaican restaurant but also it's a fusion product — the only one of it's kind [in Corner Brook.]"