Will Crow Be On The Menu In Cuba?

Cuba’s booming private restaurant business moved out of the black market and into the open Wednesday.

It is a significant step in Cuba’s gradual creation of a private economy to create jobs, goods and taxes that the socialist state no longer can provide on its own.

But the decree published in the Communist Party daily Granma imposes tight limits and heavy taxes on the restaurants known as “paladares,” which are everywhere in Havana.

The restrictions appear to be an effort to limit competition for state restaurants, which now charge far-higher prices than their illegal counterparts.

Under the decree, private restaurants are limited to 12 seats and fees range up to $300 a month - a huge sum in Cuba - for restaurants that charge in dollars.