Yachting
Yachting
Prickly Bay Marina,
Restaurant & Bar
Darren Turner is a man always on the
move, and definitely not one to rest on
his laurels. Catching up with him is like
this he says- “I’m gonna do this, that
and the next,” and a month later you ask
how’s that project going? He says with
a grin “I’ve already done it mate!.” In
2011 he leased from owner Rick Lee,
Prickly Bay Marina, Restaurant & Bar and
drawing from his professional building
contracting experience, he also secured
Prickly is busy as ever, the last 5 years
“
it’s grown from being a run down place, to a
“
R
ecently this journalist entertained a
guest from abroad and when Friday
night came up, there was no question
we would head to Prickly Bay Marina for
their legendary Pan and Pizza Night with
sunset drinks at the Tiki Bar. While dining to
some excellent Steel Pan Music by the New
Dimensions we mentioned to our friend
“see that man sitting at the bar, he runs
all of this place.” “Sitting at the bar?” They
replied with just the slightest inflection of
all day? Our reply- “That man deserves to
sit down and have a beer.”
great local following, tourists come in and
out, expats are a big support
the maintenance contract for the luxury
apartments and residences at the property.
The results have been astounding.
“Prickly is busy as ever, the last 5 years it’s
grown from being a run down place, to a
great local following, tourists come in and
out, expats are a big support.” says Turner
There are events every night of the week
with Wednesday’s Big Bingo Night and
Friday Pizza specials and live music being
the big nights. “When I first took it over
in 2011 (The Marina, Bar & Restaurant) it
had an annual income of roughly $1.1 mill
ECD in 2015 that figure has jumped to over
$5 million ECD turnover. Reinvest reinvest
reinvest, it’s the only way to do it.”
Clearly he’s done just that. Sporting the
best wifi on the island with increased
bandwidth and seating with accessible
table plugins is very convenient.
Improvements have been made to the
Customs and Immigration offices, as well
as upgrades to the “cruisers’ bathroom
and showers. Exciting new additions
onsite include a gaming lounge, and a
french butcher shop.
shop and owners Giles & Frederique stay
open till 9pm every Thursday just for this.
Simply browse their fresh cuts of delicious
steaks, pork, lamb, liver and a selection of
sausages, all from locally sourced animals
then purchase your meat for the night, or
the week and bring it to the restaurant.
Chef ’s can cook it to your requirment
at Prickly or you can cook it yourself. If
you prefer Rotisserie Chickens are also
available.There’s plenty of side dishes like
chips, salads, and veggies to compliment
your meal. As well as spices and sauces
on hand for seasoning up the tasty grill
items. Everyone’s welcome, those with an
instrument that play get a free drink. Turner
shares, ”It’s a social thing, people talking
at the grill, sharing, cooking, and there’s
some real talent on the island, quality
players and travelers, makes it interesting.”
wife Raquel Simon-Turner is a big member
of the team. “Raquel runs Prickly Bay, so
that’s a huge blessing to me.” Turner adds
that she plays a big role in promoting local
business and participating in the cruiser’s
net, as well as the social media updates on
facebook and twitter.
You don’t get this much accomplished
without a great leadership and a
hardworking loyal team. With 50 full time
employees, and an additional 15 part time,
Turner realizes the importance of a happy
staff between two businesses. Darren’s
Turner’s latest venture, which he opened
in 2014, is another Restaurant/Bar called
“Timbers”, formerly “De Big Fish” on the
True Blue side of Prickly Bay. Timbers is
a hot new Sports Bar which boasts of
Grenada’s first bar, beer garden and snack
Thursday nights feature the BBQ & Jazz
Jam Night, starting from 6pm. BBQ and
Jam night goes hand in hand. Le Boucher
is the new on site charcuterie butcher
Darren Turner and wife Raquel
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www.businessgrenada.com
www.businessgrenada.com
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