Q: When did you actually open the business?
Kerwin Peter: I opened the business in July
2018, just a week before Carnival.
Q: Your restaurant has a rustic look and
feel and your furniture is made mostly from
wooden pallettes. Would you say your
background as an artist influenced your
restaurant’s layout?
asked to submit a feasibility study, which
I did. They saw my vision and decided to
help me out. It’s actually worked for me and
they’ve been helping me along the way to
get things done in stages.
Q: What was it like receiving that first check
from 1 st National Bank St. Lucia Limited?
KP: Yes, that’s all part of my creativity. I love
doing things differently. For instance, I did
some Styrofoam carvings for my signage.
People seem to like it very much. KP: It was a really nice feeling because it
helped me along the way. I had a lot to do
and could not have done it from my pocket
only. So with 1 st National Bank investing in
my business, I was able to get things done
and for that I’m truly appreciative.
Q: Can you tell me what the general vibe is
here at Thirsty Parrot Beach Bar and Grill? Q: What were some of the jobs you held
down previously?
KP: Oh, it’s a nice vibe. People come here
and enjoy the food and drinks and relaxing
atmosphere. We do things totally different
here and get creative with the food. It’s easy
to see the creativity. KP: Mostly creative stuff. I used to do a
lot of art work in the past for Jazz On The
Square, St. Lucia Distillers Ltd., Digicel, and
a few others.
We do a special breakfast on Sundays, which
we call Sinful Sundays. It’s a three-course
meal that includes dessert. We also offer
lunch and dinner throughout the week. Here
at Thirsty Parrot, we offer tacos, wraps – we
basically try to give everything a different
flavour. It’s also a great place for after-work
limes.
We also have some sauces that our patrons
enjoy, such as the ginger barbecue and
tartar sauces. I’m in the process of creating
something special for our signature wings,
so look out for that one.
Q: Do you host special events here at Thirsty
Parrot Beach Bar and Grill?
KP: Not as yet, but we plan to start doing so
soon. We also have plans to start a poetry
and musical vibe on evenings backed up by
a live band. However, we want to focus more
on the classics.
Q: 1 st National Bank St. Lucia Limited was
instrumental in you getting started. Can you
tell me what the process was like?
KP: After having conversations with a friend,
he suggested that I speak to the people at
1 st National Bank and send them a proposal.
The process wasn’t really long, but there
were still a few issues here and there. I was
www.slyoumag.com | February - April 2020
Q: Having driven to those jobs in the past,
how does it now feel that you get to drive
every day to a business you own?
KP: It’s both a different and great feeling.
It’s also a lot more hard work than before,
but it feels good.
Q: What is the general feedback you get from
patrons who visit Thirsty Parrot Beach Bar
and Grill?
KP: They usually speak highly about the
great ambience and food. I often get some
great comments from the tourists about the
furniture and art work.
Q: Any parting words for fellow
entrepreneurs, especially those who must
face the banks?
KP: The banks all have requirements that we
need to meet. They need to see our vision
so they can be able to assist us. Sometimes
we think that we should just go to the bank
and expect them to help us automatically.
As an entrepreneur, you need to meet these
requirements, follow the process, and keep
fighting. If you have a dream, you have to
try to live it out. Many of us have dreams but
fail to push ourselves forward to actually live
them.
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