Closure of Havana Restaurants

[NSXCIGAR]

9 hours ago, Ryan said:

The cash never leaves Cuba.

A Cuban person living in Miami wants to send $1,000 to relatives in Havana. We'll call this person "Sender".

I (Cuban business owner) have 500k CUCs and want to hide it, because I am anti-revolutionary etc.

I (Cuban business owner) also have a friend in Florida who has opened a US bank account for me to use.

I let Sender know that he can deposit $1,000 in my US bank account, I give Sender my details and funds are deposited.

On hearing that the funds have cleared, I give Sender's Cuban family 950 cucs.

Sender's Cuban family is happy, they have got their 950 cucs.

 Sender is happy as he managed to get 950 cucs to his family for his $1,000, rather than 900 cucs if he had done it the legal way (with the government taking 10% or 100cucs)

I am happy because I have 950 cucs less to hide under the floorboards (or wherever) and I have $1,000 in my US bank account.

OK, that's a bit clearer. But how does the Cuban business owner get access to the $1,000 in his US bank account? The money is basically washed, but it seems he can't get to it easily. Does the friend in FL managing the US bank account just remit the finds back to the Cuban biz owner at the 10% hit which is better than the 50% tax?

[Nino]

According to this report by 14yMedio ( an independent newspaper by blogger Yoany Sanchez ), it was 3 paladares that were closed down and the reasons were simply that they "got too popular" and the authorities got envious/angry/suspicious - you name it ...

Even their popularity on trip advisor was held against them ...

Says they were searched and everything from cutlery to chairs to bar stock was taken away.

The owner is in prison

http://www.14ymedio.com/reportajes/paladares-cerradas-figuran-restaurantes-Habana_0_2237176265.html

 

[El Presidente]

16 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

OK, that's a bit clearer. But how does the Cuban business owner get access to the $1,000 in his US bank account? The money is basically washed, but it seems he can't get to it easily. Does the friend in FL managing the US bank account just remit the finds back to the Cuban biz owner at the 10% hit which is better than the 50% tax?

Most at that level travel freely or relatively freely. You don't have to visit the US. You just need a laptop/smartphone and from the next airport lounge outside of Cuba you can transfer those funds to any account/credit or debit card in the world. 

You don't want to hold great swathes of foreign currency in Cuba. 

[NSXCIGAR]

On 6/16/2017 at 0:56 PM, nino said:

According to this report by 14yMedio ( an independent newspaper by blogger Yoany Sanchez ), it was 3 paladares that were closed down and the reasons were simply that they "got too popular" and the authorities got envious/angry/suspicious - you name it ...

Even their popularity on trip advisor was held against them ...

Says they were searched and everything from cutlery to chairs to bar stock was taken away.

The owner is in prison

http://www.14ymedio.com/reportajes/paladares-cerradas-figuran-restaurantes-Habana_0_2237176265.html

 

Best lines of the article:

"Since you walked in the door, it seemed to you that you were not in Cuba because of the variety of dishes and the efficiency of the service," says Grégory, a Frenchman who has visited Cuba more than a dozen times in the past decade..."

And: 

"The whole neighborhood benefited from this restaurant because many people came and I could sell some of my newspapers at a slightly better price," he explains.

God forbid that happens. Ah, the horrors of economic freedom...

Sounds like something was going on as they seem to have been able to get access or at least more access to ingredients that others could not. Obviously, taking advantage of this was extremely profitable, and not really a wise idea in my estimation. It's to be expected that the state will look for any reason to slap you back if you take a foot when they give you an inch in their eyes. As a paladar owner, it's important not to become too visible and profitable--something which to me is obvious. 

[El Presidente]

1 hour ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Best lines of the article:

"Since you walked in the door, it seemed to you that you were not in Cuba because of the variety of dishes and the efficiency of the service," says Grégory, a Frenchman who has visited Cuba more than a dozen times in the past decade..."

And: 

"The whole neighborhood benefited from this restaurant because many people came and I could sell some of my newspapers at a slightly better price," he explains.

God forbid that happens. Ah, the horrors of economic freedom...

Sounds like something was going on as they seem to have been able to get access or at least more access to ingredients that others could not. Obviously, taking advantage of this was extremely profitable, and not really a wise idea in my estimation. It's to be expected that the state will look for any reason to slap you back if you take a foot when they give you an inch in their eyes. As a paladar owner, it's important not to become too visible and profitable--something which to me is obvious. 

it really does help to have an understanding of how things work. 

Sounds like something was going on as they seem to have been able to get access or at least more access to ingredients that others could not. Obviously, taking advantage of this was extremely profitable, and not really a wise idea in my estimation

Crap. It is common practice among the better paladares. Like 50 + of them. At the top there is a vibrant and competitive food scene with top end ingredients and skills to match. The vast majority of the chefs are from OS. 

 

As a paladar owner, it's important not to become too visible and profitable--something which to me is obvious. 

God forbid you want to be "great". 

Jorge....what are you doing! This tastes too good. We are going to be too popular!  Burn something!

 

[NSXCIGAR]

9 hours ago, El Presidente said:

it really does help to have an understanding of how things work. 

Sounds like something was going on as they seem to have been able to get access or at least more access to ingredients that others could not. Obviously, taking advantage of this was extremely profitable, and not really a wise idea in my estimation

Crap. It is common practice among the better paladares. Like 50 + of them. At the top there is a vibrant and competitive food scene with top end ingredients and skills to match. The vast majority of the chefs are from OS. 

 

As a paladar owner, it's important not to become too visible and profitable--something which to me is obvious. 

God forbid you want to be "great". 

Jorge....what are you doing! This tastes too good. We are going to be too popular!  Burn something!

 

Interesting. If the top paladares are really that much better than the rest with access to the same resources as the others, then tremendous credit is certainly due to them. I had been reading recently about black market ingredients, however--does this play any part in your estimation?

As far as not wanting to be great, again, the state dropping the hammer on these overly successful paladares is something that I would have expected to happen, and it did. I don't know what the solution is. How do you strive to be slightly less than great? This is surely going to have a chilling effect on the remaining paladares.