Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier Garcia was in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo last week for the opening of Jalao, on the former site of the city’s Hard Rock cafe. In addition to being a Dominican food restaurant, Jalao will also be an entertainment center and showroom for Dominican culture. The restaurant will be featuring live music from the stage that the Hard Rock Cafe used for their guest performers.
Minister Garcia said that Jalao is just one of many businesses that have invested upwards of US$100 million in the Colonial City since the Ministry began the Inter-American Development Bank renovation program. He said a census carried out in September 2015 showed there were 23% new businesses in the Colonial City. It also showed that 42% of local residents also work in the old city and surrounding areas, and 35% of them work in tourism businesses.
Garcia says that 11% of the tourists who come to the country visit the Colonial City, or more than 600,000 tourists in 2015. He said 98% of the tourists polled said the visit was worth it and 87% said they would recommend the destination.
Jalao’s owner Antonio Espaillat said the new business complements the historical visits the tourists will make. Espaillat is also the owner of JetSet Club on Av. Independencia.
Other shareholders are Peter Gauster (of Hard Rock Cafe Blue Mall), Rafael Cabrera (Foodhall Holding), Saverio Stassi (the Venezuelan chef of Restaurante Pat’e Palo) and Louis Brocker (owner of Restaurante Pat’e Palo and Lulu Tasting Bar, both also in the Colonial City).
Hard Rock Cafe relocated to its new site in the Blue Mall, in the city’s modern commercial center.
