NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Restaurants Bahamas Limited, operators of KFC Nassau, has terminated 35 employees across its nine locations due to what the company called the “unprecedented economic slowdown” due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the restrictions the government imposed to mitigate against the virus, including the ongoing nightly curfew.
“For almost a year now, the curfews imposed on New Providence have severely impacted sales and revenue,” Restaurants Bahamas Limited Human Resources Director Nina Maynard said.
“We have made adjustments throughout this pandemic in order [to] keep everyone employed, but unfortunately we now find ourselves in the position where this very difficult move is simply unavoidable.”
According to the company, the ongoing 10pm curfew on New Providence has resulted in the fast-food chain losing an “entire segment of business”.
“The company is unable to continue to provide its over 360 team members with their contractual days and hours that were based on pre-pandemic operating schedule,” read a statement.
“The company has lobbied government in hopes of having the curfew until later in the evening now that new COVID-19 cases in New Providence have declined, however, those efforts have not been successful.
“The layoffs will take place across the company’s nine locations.”
There have been varying restrictive measures, including complete lockdowns and weekend lockdowns since mid-March 2020.
Those restrictions were largely relaxed in July, prompting a massive resurgence of the virus and an ultimate resumption of restrictive measures to stem the surge.
As cases slowed into the low double digits, the government reopened many sectors of the economy and reopened the country’s tourism last November.
KFC has attempted several marketing campaigns in recent months.
As the holidays approached and the cancellation of traditional Junkanoo was confirmed, the restaurant franchise announced its own campaign for Junkanoo enthusiasts, challenging the Junkanoo community to create their most elaborate headpiece, which must use a KFC chicken bucket in some way in its construction, for a chance to win big.
Last December, KFC said despite its revenue taking a “major hit” due to the lockdowns and restrictions, associates and managers will receive their full Christmas bonus.
The company said in a statement that it saw no revenue in August, while noting that its affiliate Luciano’s did not survive. The company said it has asked the Bahamas Managerial Association (BHMA) and the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) that represents its managers and employees for understanding as they seek to split the bonus payment into two parts.
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