Photo of The Hut (Photo by Hut)
Employees of The Hut Little Jumby say they have been left in limbo after being told their positions were made redundant at the end of the restaurant’s first season.
The business, which opened in November 2024 and employed close to 100 people, officially closed its doors on August 24. According to staff, a meeting was held and they were informed that their roles were no longer secure.
“We officially closed on the 24th, and when we were packing up, they had a meeting and told us that our positions are redundant,” one former employee told Antigua.news.
On August 27, all staff reportedly received letters confirming their redundancy. Workers were further advised that they would need to reapply for their jobs when the restaurant reopens on October 11, though with no guarantee of being rehired.
For many, the decision has cast doubt over their livelihoods, as the restaurant had quickly become a steady source of employment.
The Hut is scheduled to resume operations next month as it launches its second season, but workers remain uncertain over who, if any, will be reinstated.
That’s wild boii! Now these people are left without a job at month end? Critical
Welp. Antigua.news and Shermain Bique-Charles are accustomed to making news, make the people feel bad and we see changes! Let’s see what comes out of this story here.
No warning or anything? I mean yeah the whole island usually close and reopens but still, no warning so they could get a next job?
So what does the workers do from here? Were they given any sort of payment?
Just another in ongoing cycle of “the so called investors coming here fulling their pockets and then packing up and leaving with the profits from this land”. A very vicious and enslaving cycle that has gone on for decades and yet still those in authority help to continue the cycle.
You believe that they made money in the eight months that they’ve been in business? Do you know how much it cost to open that restaurant? Have you ever operated a business? Do you know how much it would cost to pay 100 workers weekly? Just questions as you seem to ascribe to a thinking that everyone comes to enslave us. Boy, oh boyyy
Thank you Devorn Carter for correcting Antigua Surf’s uneducated and inaccurate statement. Sadly this mindset seems to be ingrained in many. Stop whining and do something
What a shocker. This must really be hard for employees. I’m sorry to hear.
Find another job. The nation has full employment.
Saw this story on another news portal and I was wondering how crazy. I knew they said that they will be opening back for a new season. So I’m wondering what they meant by no future plans of reopening. Anyway, I fine this was wrong to do and I will be waiting for an update from you guys. I’ve heard of the firing but I didn’t know it was deeper than that. We’ve had to much of this happening and I hope you guys can do a video story on this. Cause we are suffering with these overseas chain of hotels
This isn’t just a business closing nuh….it’s dozens of families suddenly without income. A luxury restaurant should at least have the decency to ensure a proper transition or severance package
Management knew the risks of opening in this market. To shut down so quickly and leave staff in limbo shows poor planning and even poorer regard for the livelihoods of their employees
So just like that? Oh waw
I’m a bit confused about the dates in this article.
This story in present tense it in past tense I well confuses. I don’t know what calendar ah you ah follow but September just start.
So we’re they given letters in August?
Well if they don’t make you all redundant they would be obligated to pay you all while they closed. They are smart people
This shows poor planning from management. People’s livelihoods are at stake
Let me see if I got this straight.. so the owners fired their workers so they wouldn’t have to pay them while the business is closed for the two months period? And no guarantee of being rehired? That is diabolical. So how do these people take care of their families in the mean time? This is utter nonsense!!! Which ministry needs to step in here because this is not right.
The Hut at little Jumby was a rather exclusive and expensive restaurant. The price for a dinner ranged from US$115 to US$225 per person. The population of Antigua is small and the number of people who dine out for a nice culinary experience is even smaller. All things being equal, it would be very difficult for that restaurant to survive in the present circumstances. I am therefore not surprised about the closure.
The exclusive restaurant is not for the majority, it’s for the one percenters, the business model is on point. Surely they would have turned a profit in their first season. This business model is not dependant on the majority. There is super profits in selling processed food and drinks.
Obviously management was not pleased with the performance of the majority. To solve the problem terminate all and rehire the selected few.
Expect the other workers to be brought in. And the labour minister Cutie Benjamin will be happy to sign all those work permits like he did for Royalton.
Hold on, I don’t like it but be real. staff can resign with immediate effect. Correct? Staff go on vacation and don’t return? Is that fair to the employer?
It’s easier to find a worker than for a worker to find a job. Yeah people resign that doesn’t actually affect the company but immediate termination, people has bills to pay aswell
It was always refreshing to see a place open to everyone, even if positioned at the higher end of the market, still far more reasonable than Nobu on Barbuda, and quite comparable to the Roc Group in Antigua. With time, it could have become one of the region’s standout offshore experiences. I had understood it would reopen after the summer break, and I still hope that’s the case. The staffing situation looks more like poor planning than necessity, Antigua isn’t suited to “pop-up” style management, and families depend on these jobs. Hopefully the business reopens stronger and more consistent, for the benefit of both clients and staff.
Who owns the island??? This sudden, cold, contemptuous move by the investors is a mere flexing of the muscles, a indication/warning to John Public of their true vulnerability in this mad push to sell land, our birthright, to foreign white investors under the caption of attracting direct foreign investment through tourism! Sons a d daughters of the soil, TAKE NOTE! READY YOURSELVES FOR COUNTERACTION
The decision to walk away after less than a year reflects badly on the brand. Workers deserve stability, not to be treated as seasonal extras in a failed experimen