Gentleman’s Club Opening Delayed Again

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Business News

Friday, 23 November 2012 02:30

By caribarena news

Antigua St. John's - The Gentleman’s Club, located atop the recently renovated and renamed restaurant in Heritage Quay, rightly named ‘The Quay’, has suffered yet another setback with the refusal of entry by customs officials for a group of Jamaican nationals poised to work as “dancers” at the establishment.

The young ladies arrived on the island last Friday on Caribbean Airlines Flight 416 from Jamaica and were denied entry.

Caribarena has been unable to ascertain the exact number of women recruited from Jamacia to work in the establishment.

The Gentleman’s Club in Heritage Quay is poised to be the first of its kind in Antigua, catering to a high-end clientele with a particular focus on providing “entertainment” for cruise passengers who are often found wandering around the city.

Presently, the restaurant arm of the club continues to operate on something of a skeleton staff, with some four employees leaving the job in one week last month due to what is believed to be inadequate wages. Currently, employees are said to work for some EC$10 an hour and are not allowed to apply service charge to customers’ bills.

Some time ago Caribarena was made aware that the Gentleman’s Club would look to feature an assorted selection of both Caribbean beauties and South American gems, namely those from Venezuela. It is understood that those from the latter nation are already on island.

Seeking clarification on the matter, Caribarena contacted Andre Hull – owner of the establishment and reportedly business partner for Health Minister Wilmoth Daniel.

Hull confirmed that the girls were indeed denied entry into the country but refused to comment further on the matter as it relates directly to them or by extension the Club. He questioned whether or not Caribarena’s probe was “newsworthy” or simply a fishing expedition on the basis of “gossip”.

Caribarena contacted Health Minister Wilmoth Daniel and asked whether he could comment on the matter of the girls, as some have suggested that the denial of their entry into Antigua & Barbuda may have had something to do with lingering friction between Daniel and his fellow government officials.

The Minister denied any knowledge of the women and by extension the business.

“I don’t know anything about that. I have nothing to do with that,” Daniel told Caribarena.

The Quay Bar and Grill was opened on the weekend on August 19 amid notable fanfare and with prominent government and business officials making appearances. Both Daniel and Hull were present and presented as the official owners of the establishment and Daniel is observed there on a nightly basis.

In early September, Daniel opened The Gentleman’s Club to a Caribarena Reporter, an ALP politician and Publisher of the Observer Media Group, where he provided a private tour and expressed plans on how the business is to go forward.

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But on Thursday, the Minister repeated on several occasions that he had absolutely no hand in the establishment and by extension, zero knowledge on how it is to proceed.

Investigations following this conversation unsurprisingly reflected the contrary, with employees confirming that both Daniel and Hull are their bosses.

In the meantime, The Gentleman’s Club was poised to open its doors approximately one month after its official opening.

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