The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Jumbey Café, the Village Road-based restaurant deeply rooted in Bahamian flavours, has expanded to a second location on Carmichael Road.

It has taken over space formerly occupied by QBC opposite John’s Plaza, located at the junction of Carmichael and East Avenue, after principal Valentino Munroe decided now was the right time for the business to grow.

“To be able to move into Carmichael in a more urban area with high consumer traffic gives us the ability to broaden our customer base and increase volume, thereby improving our growth prospects and the opportunity to gain a stronger foothold in the food industry,” said Mr Munroe.

To ease staff into the new location, Jumbey Café quietly opened the doors of its second outlet on Thursday, March 21. An official opening is slated for next month.

Since its launch in 2016, Jumbey Café has built a foundation and brand identity as a place for authentic Bahamian dishes heavily influenced by the owner’s Andros roots. Crab soup, baked crab, crab and rice, boil fish, fresh snapper, crack conch and other Bahamian dishes are prepared in a “down home” atmosphere.

While many neighbourhood restaurants are closed on Sundays, Jumbey Café is open from 9 am to 6 pm. Its food is prepared fresh daily by Family Island cooks from Andros, Abaco and Exuma.

“We have a very popular base in and around The Village Road Shopping Centre area,” said Mr Munroe, a computer system engineer by profession, who also runs the computers and accessories store, Onit Systems, located just a few doors away.

He added that Jumbey Village’s flagship location aims to capture a larger market share when the café rolls out its lighter lunch fare – more salads, boils and fresh vegetables. The goal is to attract and retain more of the area’s professional, health conscience consumers.

“Our choice of locations demonstrates we are not afraid to get close to some of the bigger players who have done really well in business over the years. I’m not worried about competition. With food, having options make the market more interesting,” said Mr Munroe, whose family owns and operates restaurants and lodging accommodations in Andros.

“We look to compliment and improve the product quality and the level of service in our area of the market. A new entrant, even a small player, could have an amazing impact causing its competitors to take note and improve their level of service. Consequently, the customer benefits from better food quality all around.”

The restaurateur said his priority is ensuring both locations deliver what they promise – authentic Bahamian food made with all-natural, fresh ingredients prepared in the best environment possible by a welcoming staff.

Mr Munroe said: “While we look to expand operations, our bigger dream is really to exemplify to the next generation would it means to grow, build and develop ownership in the Bahamian economy.”