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The New Year's dinners at several hotels in Havana were sold for 60, 100, and even 120 dollars per person, with menus that included meats, seafood, sparkling wine, and drinks.
At least six months of minimum wage would be needed to afford a year-end celebration at tourism facilities.
While hotels flaunt luxury, citizens are organizing free meals for homeless individuals and neighbors in extreme poverty who don't have "even a hot meal" to bid farewell to the year.
Among the proposals circulated is that of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, offering a "concert dinner" priced at 100 USD per person and 50 USD for children.
Includes a welcome cocktail, a bottle of water, one national drink per person, a bottle of rum or whiskey per couple (with mixers), champagne glass for the toast, three-course dinner, and "Christmas treats."
The event was scheduled for December 31 at 8:00 p.m., with in-person reservations.
A dinner was also promoted at the Hotel Habana Libre for 60 USD or 30,000 CUP (four months' salary, based on the current average salary rate of 6,685 CUP).
The menu includes antipasto (ham, chorizo, salchichón, cheese, and olives), smoked salmon rolls filled with cream cheese and fruits, truffle mushroom cream, beef tenderloin with reduced wine and rum sauce, desserts such as French toast with chocolate sauce and ice cream, holiday nougat, and “lucky grapes.”
In terms of beverages, it includes a welcome sparkling wine and three drinks to choose from water, soda, beer, or house wine.
In the Meliá Habana, dinner was priced at 120 USD per person or 45,000 CUP (almost seven months of average salary) with a welcome glass of cava, a cold starter, scallops in citrus sauce, seafood cream with confit lobster, beef tenderloin in mushroom sauce, and a cava mousse for dessert.
The proposal includes beverages during dinner: white and red wine, water, beer, and soft drinks.
The contrast with the street
The contrast with the reality of vulnerable sectors is reflected in a community initiative in Guanabo, where entrepreneur Hugo Puig González, owner of the K5 bar, confirmed that for the third consecutive year he would organize a free year-end meal “exclusively for homeless individuals and neighbors in extreme economic hardship.”
Puig announced on Facebook that on December 31, starting at 3:00 p.m., he would be opening the terrace of his venue for those who do not have a dinner reservation, explaining that the gathering is taking place alongside Restaurant Casaquinta.
He clarified that this is not an open call for anyone: he requested help to ensure that food reaches those who truly need it and warned that if people without real needs take advantage of it, someone vulnerable might be left without their only special meal for the end of the year.
The message also emphasizes a symbolic intention: that those people "remain visible," that they are not forgotten, and that they deserve to bid farewell to the year with a gesture of respect and humanity.
To support the initiative, Puig invited people to channel donations through the group “Con Amor Todos Juntos” and shared card numbers in CUP and foreign currency, along with a contact number.
According to the text itself, in 2024 more than 200 people were able to enjoy a traditional dinner, music, desserts, drinks, and even new clothing, thanks to the collaboration of private businesses, neighbors, and volunteers, with personal care actions such as hygiene and changing clothes.
While hotels announce high-cost dinners in foreign currency with "premium" drinks and dishes, community initiatives like K5 aim to bridge, if only for a few hours, the gap for those who would end the year without food, without companionship, and without support.
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