A Taste of Jamaica: The HUMMINGBIRD Restaurant

Company: The Hummingbird
Location: 29 S. Warren Street, Trenton, NJ
Owners: Marjorie Barclay, Norman Francis, and Yvette Graffie

Hours of operation: Monday to Friday 10 am to 8 pm

Phone Number: (609) 278-9555

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hummingbird-Restaurant/275000915558#!/pages/The-Hummingbird-Restaurant/275000915558

TRENTON-For those that don't already know, there is a new bird in town and she's been singing quite a sweet and savory tune for just over a year now. Today I was able to sit down with the owners of the Hummingbird Restaurant. Located in the heart of Downtown Trenton (29 S. Warren Street), this merchant specializes in Jamaican cuisine.

From their tantalizing oxtails to their scrumptious jerk chicken, the Hummingbird is surely a place you don't want to miss whenever you’re in the mood for fine cuisine at affordable prices. Below you will find a copy of Anwar's Reflections exclusive interview with the Hummingbird staff.

AGS: First off, can you tell the audience a little bit about your business?
 
Well, we're a Carribean restaurant that specializes in Jamaican cuisine. We bring a mixture of everything Jamaica cuisine has to offer. We bring a little bit of Jamaica to Trenton. We have the finest Jamaican entrees Downtown Trenton has to offer. At the Hummingbird, we offer quality food, low prices, and great customer service. We offer jerk chicken, curry chicken, oxtails and so forth.
 

AGS: What is your background? Is this the first time you have owned and operated your own business? How long have you been open?

Yes, this is actually our first restaurant, our first business I should say. It’s a blessing; this January marked a full year that we have been open. So we're doing very well.

AGS:What motivated you to start your own business?


Mrs. Marjorie Barclay, she's an excellent cook and one of the owners. She has a special gift with her hands, she can really cook. I always wanted to open up a franchise by the name of Golden Crust in New York, but I did some research and thought building our thing down here in Jersey would be a better idea.

AGS: Where did the name come from?
 
The Hummingbird, well, me and my wife were talking about this and she thought it would be good to name the restaurant after our national bird.

AGS: In your own words, what makes the Hummingbird unique?


Mrs. Barclay unique seasoning and ideas. We here at the Hummingbird really put love in all of our food. We also take pride in serving our customers nothing but the best. Excellent customer service is at the center of what we do.

AGS: Did you face any challenges when launching your business? If so, how did you overcome those challenges?
 
Yes, this was not the ideal place that we first wanted to open up at. We were actually going to open up on East State Street, but things didn't work out there, but it turned out to be a blessing because I think we are doing great here on S. Warren Street.

AGS: How do you advertise or promote your business?

Word of mouth mostly. When we first opened we had a grand opening that was pretty successful in getting the word out as well. I had friends that worked for the state that sent out emails. In the Downtown Association newspaper, we had articles there as well, but pretty much, word of mouth is how our business promotes itself. Everyone comes and sees what we're about. They try our food and leave with an overall experience that is positive.

AGS: Have you taken advantage of internet marketing at all? If so, how effective do you think this advertising method is? If not, how interested are you in learning more about internet marketing?

No, not really, but we do a little Facebook, Miss Barclay's daughter is really into the internet and has helped us out tremendously. We have a Facebook page where many of our fans have left positive feedback for our restaurant. We hear the people saying that they have had a great experience here at the Hummingbird.

AGS: Being that you're an entrepreneur yourself, what advice, if any, would you give an up and coming entrepreneur that wants to succeed as well?

If you have an idea, whatever idea you have, you have to go for it.  And once you get started, just dont back down because of the obstacles you come across. Things aren't always going to go right at first. You just got to keep going if that's what you want to do. You can't go halfway. You got to go for dreams. Don't give up. That's the key to success.

AGS: Will you give us another interview one from now so we can follow up on your progress? 

We will certainly give you another interview. 

AGS: Thank you so much for your time.


AGS is an acronym that stands for the author and founder of Anwar's Reflections, Anwar G. Salandy.