14ymedio, Pedro Espinosa, Havana, February 12, 2024 — The combination restaurant, cafe and dessert shop that make up El Biky, located at 412 Infanta Street, is less and less shy about flaunting its privileges. One of the most striking examples is the garbage truck that was recently parked alongside it, on Concordia Street, right in front of a luxury automobile.
In contrast to the neighborhood’s other street corners, with their mountains of trash spilling out of their containers, El Biky’s are pristine. The restaurant has at its disposal no less than ten new, well-maintained garbage bins, all of them with locks to prevent the public from using them. This is especially paradoxical when it comes to comparing this “non-agricultural cooperative” (CNA) to a micro, small or medium-sized business (MSME), which — according to the regime — is “more commercial in nature while the former is “more social.”
Their prices, however, have never been for everyone. And though their desserts are still reputed to be the best in the city, that is not the case for their restaurant or their service. “For what it costs, you shouldn’t leave feeling starved,” says Lydia, who recently celebrated her wedding anniversary there with her husband. “A teaspoon of rice, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. They tell you it’s because it looks nicer, that refined people prefer small portions. It’s not about refinement or anything else. It’s about trying to steal your money and getting rich.”
For Eduardo, the worst thing about the place is the service. “They’re not friendly. You feel as if they’re doing you a favor… The last time I ate there, the headwaiter walked around the room like he was on patrol, like a guard on a military base. It was intimidating.”
One need only step foot in the place on any given day to notice the controlling atmosphere and absence of friendly faces.
“The food is mediocre and has gotten worse over the years. And the portions are getting smaller,” explains one Havana resident who works as a tour guide and sometimes visits the place with his clients. “A good gauge of a restaurant’s quality here in Cuba is how fresh the salad is and, at El Biky, it’s generally not in great shape by the time it’s served. The dishes are sometimes cold, the sauces are obviously overheated, the rice dishes are mixed with leftovers that look like they’ve been around for several days… For me it is just a very well located fast-food joint.”
Customers have also complained about prices and quality at a satellite branch that opened in September at the José Martí International Airport. There is no evidence the company was required to submit a bid and its employees wear uniforms with the logo of the state-owned Cuban Aiports and Aeronautical Services Company. (ECASA).
All these perks have raised suspicions about the owners since it opened in 2013. Local residents openly point to Mariela Castro but, in fact, the names of the four partners credited with starting the CNA have never been revealed.
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