Bugaloo’s Restaurant Leaving Five Cays

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands — The oldest still-operating conch restaurant on Providenciales is closing its doors in Five Cays after 12 years at the south coast location, amid an emergency Government curfew that some business owners say is doing little to solve the area's crime problem.

Bugaloo’s Conch Crawl announced its impending closure on social media Friday afternoon, stating that “unfortunately due to many factors, it’s no longer profitable to do business in Five Cays.”

Owner Michael Stolow says Bugaloo's will close on August 31, and plans to reopen at a new location in Long Bay later this year where it will serve fresh Five Cays conch and hopes to recreate a similar ambiance.

The news came two days after the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force announced a five-day emergency curfew order for Five Cays, restricting all non-essential movement between 7:00 PM and 5:00 AM. The curfew order requires businesses in Five Cays to close by 6:00 PM.

A similar curfew was also mandated for the area of Blue Hills, where the popular Da Conch Shack restaurant is located, between August 8 and August 11.

"I would be all for the curfews if they were coming in to make a change, but it's just a song and dance," Stolow told Visit Turks and Caicos Islands. "With all the incidents that have happened over the years, I've had very lackluster response with the police. [...] It's all the Government's fault why we've arrived at this point."

Both Blue Hills and Five Cays, two of the original settlements on Providenciales, are battling a growing crime problem rooted in organized crime and gang violence.

Bugaloo’s restaurant opened in 1994 on Blue Hills Beach, relocating to Five Cays Beach in 2013. It was named after Berlie “Bugaloo” Williams of North Caicos, who originally opened the business and was an owner for many years. Williams passed away in 2023.