Former Calicos owner back in the beach bar business at Royal Palms

Smiling broadly beneath the wide brim of his hat, Handel Whittaker looked out across the ramshackle pool area of the old Royal Palms bar and declared, “It’s great to be back on the beach.”

Whittaker, whose much-loved Calico Jack’s venue closed in the early days of the pandemic, will soon be back in business on Seven Mile.

The charismatic restaurateur has taken over another casualty of COVID and aims to reopen the Royal Palms Beach Club in November.

At the tumbledown bar Tuesday, murky pea-green water standing stagnant in the long-neglected pool, it was difficult to imagine the venue thronged with tourists.

But Whittaker believes he and his team can resuscitate the once-popular restaurant and bring back a type of experience that has been missing from Seven Mile.

“People are actually starving for this kind of venue,” said Whittaker.

Since closing Calico’s in the early weeks of the pandemic, a decision he describes as “heart rending”, Whittaker said he had been inundated with calls, messages and nudges on the shoulder in the supermarket, asking when and where he would be reopening.

The entrepreneur said he aimed to re-create the type of atmosphere that made Calico’s popular – where locals, expats and tourists – rich and poor – could rub shoulders.

“We had instances where people were staying at the Ritz, but they would come straight to Calico’s, sit down with some jerk chicken, a bucket of CayBrew and just relax in their swimsuit,” he said.

He plans to hire a staff of more than 60 for the new operation and indicated patrons could expect an atmosphere similar to what existed at both Royal Palms and Calico Jack’s, including full moon and New Year’s Eve parties.

He said the venue would provide another option for cruise tourists to enjoy Seven Mile Beach during the day and a spot that locals and residents could frequent at night.

While a number of new upmarket venues have emerged on the beach over the past few years, many people have lamented the loss of more affordable, casual bars that used to populate the shoreline.

With plans for beach access and sun-lounger service, Whittaker said he hopes to create the Calico’s vibe a few miles away at the southern end of the beach.

Calico’s itself is undergoing a revamp, and work appeared to be well under way to renovate that site this week. The property, like Royal Palms, is owned by the Dart group, which has indicated a desire to create a new restaurant at that location, close to Hotel Indigo, which it just opened on the edge of Public Beach.

Work to be done

The Royal Palms bar remains as it was when it abruptly closed as the island shut down in the spring of 2020. Construction fencing surrounds the property, and tattered and fading wooden signs point the way to crumbling facilities flecked with peeling paint.

Over the next few months, the site will get a lot of love and attention, says Whittaker.

“We are very confident that we can have this up and running pretty shortly. It’s a lot of work, but in another couple of weeks, it’ll be a whole different atmosphere.”

He has his sights set on the start of the next tourism season.

Whittaker, along with Terrance Hucker, Marty Francis and Devon Clark, of the Animals restaurant-management company, which also runs The Bird and The Roost, signed a lease on the property with the Dart group.

The new venue will not include the section of the bar closest to the ocean, and a decision is pending on what to do with that site in the long term. 

Amid significant erosion along this stretch of beach, there have been calls for the property to be demolished and moved further back.

The arrangement with Whittaker was characterised as a medium-term solution for the site.

Robert Weekley, Dart senior vice president development planning, said in a statement: “As we evaluate our long-term plans for the site, we decided that in the meantime, it is best to work with someone with an established track record in the industry on possible options. 

“Mr Whittaker expressed a desire to utilise the location and we got the ball rolling. We believe this is a win-win for all involved and provides further economic stimulus during the refurbishment and operations.”

Renovation of the site is subject to relevant planning department approvals, he added, indicating that turtle friendly lighting would be installed as well as measures to lessen the impact on neighbours.

Under the agreement between Dart and Whittaker, elements of the property will be refurbished, with a wooden deck constructed to the south of the existing pool area.

• There is no connection between Handel Whittaker and James Whittaker, the writer of this story.

Editor’s Note: The Cayman Compass is a subsidiary of Dart Media and Entertainment.