Related videos:
The state-owned company Palmares S.A. announced this Sunday on its official Facebook page that its restaurants will move out of their usual kitchens to bring "affordable prepared food offers" directly to the neighborhoods of Havana, in response to the serious energy crisis the island is experiencing.
"During these complex times due to the energy situation, it is precisely in difficulty that our unity becomes stronger," the company wrote in its post, accompanied by images of dishes served in styrofoam containers with yellow rice, stewed ground meat, salad, and root vegetables, prepared by cooks in uniforms under street conditions.
The announcement comes at the worst energy moment Cuba has experienced in decades. The Electric Union reported a historical maximum deficit of 2,113 MW on May 13, with only 1,230 MW available against a demand of 3,250 MW.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, publicly acknowledged that power outages in Havana “exceed 20 to 22 hours” daily, leaving families with only one and a half to four hours of electricity before additional cuts.
The crisis prevents households from cooking and refrigerating food, turning the food shortage into an emergency parallel to the lack of electricity.
That double deficiency was the spark of the protests that erupted in Havana between May 12 and 17, considered the largest since July 11, 2021, featuring pot-banging, street blockades, bonfires, and the burning of trash in at least 12 municipalities.
In San Miguel del Padrón, residents gathered in front of the municipal government office with the slogan “Power and food!”, while in Marianao, locals blocked the intersection of 100 and 51 after more than twenty consecutive hours without electricity.
In that context of social unrest, Palmares' announcement can be interpreted both as a gesture of solidarity and as a propagandistic response from the State to popular discontent.
The company, which operates between 678 and 850 facilities nationwide—including the Cabaret Tropicana and the DiTú café network—did not specify in its announcement the exact prices, the specific neighborhoods it will serve, or the frequency of the initiative.
The patriotic tone of the announcement, with hashtags like #CubaEsAmor and #UnidosPorCuba, contrasts with the company's own record: in January 2023, Palmares raised the prices of its food in Sancti Spíritus, which generated widespread criticism among the population.
The energy crisis has structural roots: the Cuban electric system requires 250 million dollars annually just for maintenance, not including fuel, and the country has gone months without a regular supply of oil. A Russian donation of 100,000 tons was quickly depleted, with no sustainable solution in sight from the regime.
Filed under: