The new Lime Out floating restaurant, set to open in Lindbergh Bay by November 15, brings the popular St. John dining concept to St. Thomas, blending marine tourism with local entrepreneurship ahead of the busy cruise season.
The operators of Lime Out, the territory’s only floating taco restaurant, are preparing to open a location on St. Thomas in time for the cruise season’s peak.
The Lime Out 2 LLC team appeared before the Legislature in September for a relevant coastal zone permit to place the floating structure in Lindbergh Bay. Preparations are now underway to have both the taco restaurant and the land-based prep kitchen completed by November 15th.
In an interview with the Consortium one month before the expected opening date, Dane Tarr confirmed that “there's a lot that has to happen between then and now.” With hundreds of cruise calls scheduled for St. Thomas this season, the proprietors are hoping the restaurant, already popular on St. John, will make a big splash.
“We think they're going to be really excited about having something a little bit more different as far as excursions are concerned,” said Richard Baronowski, another partner. He admitted that the “sheer volume of cruise ship passengers is going to be a challenge.” For Mr. Baronowski, “the real test will be when it actually starts happening.”
According to Mr. Tarr, they’re hoping to “pump out close to 350 tacos an hour out of this machine.” To do so, Lime Out 2 LLC intends to hire 6 to 8 cooks.
Lime Out’s floating taco restaurant in St. John, an internationally recognized destination blending marine tourism with eco-friendly dining in the Virgin Islands.
Dylan Buchalter, another team member, says recruitment is ongoing, with ads placed on social media and with the Department of Labor. “I've been talking with some really, really great young people from the islands, and I think we have an excellent team,” he indicated. Lime Out says they intend to build the “strongest team with as many local and young people” as possible. Altogether, Lime Out says a staff complement of 25 people will be needed to manage front-of-house and kitchen operations.
During their Legislative hearing in September, lawmakers were excited about the economic ripple effects of opening a new restaurant. Mr. Baronowski described it as “auxiliary income around the business.” He noted that on St. John, charter boat tours “were able to expand their fleet” to facilitate more trips to the original floating taco restaurant. They anticipate the same on St. Thomas.
Mr. Tarr is confident that “there's going to be a lot of opportunities for entrepreneurs to build a business around the Lime Out experience.” He sees the expansion of the restaurant as beneficial for families in St. Thomas. “From a taxi driver to a boat captain, they'll be able to create a new tour,” said Mr. Tarr.
Lime Out 2 LLC is working steadily to meet its November 15th deadline, though fire and health inspections are pending. Some other inspections are also necessary before the business is granted a permanent license to operate. “We're very, very happy with the result of the Senate hearing. We feel really close. We think that the November 15 deadline for us is achievable,” affirmed Mr. Baronowski.
Though a novel attraction, Lime Out will rely heavily on the patronage of water-based visitors. That includes charter boat occupants, cruise visitors, and those traveling aboard yachts. However, several charter boats have relocated to the British Virgin Islands after that territory instituted higher fees for foreign-based charter yachts. Their absence could be a blow to Lime Out’s possible revenue.
Mr. Baronowski remains hopeful. He noted that in the BVI, there are “so many different experiences you can have over there via boat.” He told the Consortium that “part of our goal from the beginning was to offer a different experience, another experience for people to not have to spend that hour and a half or two hours in customs.”
“Maybe this is one of the reasons why some boats will decide to stay based in St Thomas,” Mr. Tarr added. He considered the restaurant “something for them to show their guests to do and make it worth spending that extra money annually to be able to do the USVI and the BVI.”
The owners are also excited about local patronage, with the new establishment positioned close to St. Thomas’ capital.
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