SSP Diaries | The Fort Clarence debacle

IT WAS a very hot Sunday morning, and we decided to get out of the house and enjoy breakfast by the sea, for a change. We headed to Fort Clarence because at that time of the day, anywhere else would have been crowded. We arrived at 11 a.m. We were not the first on the beach, but we were the first people to engage the caterers. This was our lucky day, or so I thought because at that time we were all extremely hungry. Well, we misread the signs, this was the beginning of our sorrows.

The facility doesn’t open before 10 a.m. and on approaching the catering facility I noted that the staff were only now, at 11.15 a.m., setting up the place. We were still happy being the first patrons and placed our orders – three fried fish servings, a serving of steamed and fried bammies and two servings of festival with three soft drinks.

Having not had fried fish in any such establishment for some time, the prices seemed expensive to me, $4500 per order and the bammies, drinks and festivals attracted additional costs at roughly $400 per side order. The craving for a good fried fish meal trumped all concerns and even though I was informed that preparation to output/delivery would be 45 minutes, which was a bit long, I did not allow that to trouble me. We could enjoy the constant sea breeze that was blowing at the time and peaceful natural surroundings. The fact that the tables were dirty caused us to seek the assistance of a security guard who was very helpful and brought soap water and cloths and cleaned up the table for us. This is not her responsibility, she did it out of the kindness of her heart, a gesture not readily evident in our society today. We thanked her profusely.

After 45 minutes I went to check on the meal as there was no movement from the catering area that indicated things would soon arrive. At this time, we were asked to wait a further 10 minutes and told that they did not have a waiting service so we should come and collect our meals. Now, this information caused me to review my experience so far and try and think of what next to expect. The seating area is to the front of the catering building, no more than 10 metres away. It is within distance that one reasonably expects that a waiting service could be provided for customers, especially noting the high prices being charged for meals provided. $4500 seems to be a figure liked by the proprietor as this was the price for lobster which is basically the only other item on the menu. So, at this juncture, one is already too far into the ‘arrangement’ so there can be no turning back.

We waited a total of an hour and a half before the meal was ready, we were the first to place our order so although very disappointed at the time taken, I had to think of those that came after us, they would be waiting for at least two hours to receive theirs. To add insult to injury, the two small fish per serving was not what I expected. Furthermore, the fish was not seasoned properly, was extremely fresh and over-fried, the bammy seemed to have been soaked in a sugar and water solution and the pickle for the fish was done in a very weak vinegar solution which, in my mind, meant that it had been watered down. The festivals were up to standard. Being close to 1 p.m. we were forced to consume what we received because of how hungry we were.

Fort Clarence is an establishment leased to a concessionaire to provide a service to the public. It is patronised by locals as well as visitors/tourists to our island. What I experienced on that Sunday morning is not representative of an acceptable service being provided, it detracts significantly from our Jamaican hospitality or brand and at the same time diminishes the value of the location in the minds of any well-thinking persons. Putting aside the fact that the beach was badly affected by deposits of sargassum weed (a seaweed infestation impacting the wider Caribbean at this time), there were also a number of illegal vendors plying their wares along the water line, a situation I do not believe is allowed but was being condoned by the security guards present, as I saw no evidence of anyone being asked to leave.

When you reflect on the fact that the entrance fee for adults is $1000 per person and then you are faced with poor service at high prices in an environment that has the potential to provide, safety, peace of mind and genuine Jamaican hospitality, our experience has been a great let-down, way below my expectations and certainly not reminiscent of previous visits. Based upon what transpired, it is recommended that the contracts for concessionaires providing these types of services be reviewed monitored and evaluated throughout their tenure, so that improved services can be enjoyed by the local population as well as our visitors.

Incidentally, we did learn, late in the day, that one is allowed to bring their own food. I hope the proprietor is not going to use this as an option for poor service. We like the location and hope that by the time we get around to visiting again, things will be vastly improved.

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