A new-look menu with a Mexican flavour has been launched at restaurant Tribe Road Kitchen, on Reid Street.

Co-owner Russell Petty said: “We’ve changed the whole theme of things — it’s a new direction.

“We’ve pretty much gone full Mexican.”

Mr Petty explained the change came about after looking at the restaurant market on the island and through a desire to boost takings.

He said: “We asked ourselves, look, what can we do to make more money — what’s not being done in Bermuda?

“We were doing pizza and that sort of stuff, but pizza is Friday night and the rest of the week, people don’t eat that much pizza.

“We did a lot of research and decided we would sell more margaritas if we sold Mexican food.”

Mr Petty added: “We’re trying to drag ourselves out of a depression in Bermuda. Business is all right, but we’re not getting rich.

“We decided to emphasise more bar, drinks and dinner. Not that many people drink at lunchtime.”

Mr Petty said: “The bottom line is that the restaurant business would be fine, but there’s not enough people in Bermuda.

“We have lost so many people and they were people who ate out.

“Everybody’s down, which is why we figured we had to reinvent the wheel.”

The new menu highlights fresh, handmade tacos, enchiladas and fajitas, plus some original Mexican dishes, using fresh plantains and vegetables.

Mr Petty said: “We’ve hit a note with the Mexican food. It’s been very well received.

“The Mexican people who come out to dinner ask if their mother was in the kitchen.

“We’re trying to do it as authentically as we can, sourcing the real ingredients and doing it right.

“It means more work for us, but it’s a much better product.”

He added: “We’re still doing breakfast at the weekends and we’re not going to change that. It works.”

Tribe Road Kitchen opened six years ago with the original focus on baked goods, but broadened its range after customers asked for lunch items.

Mr Petty said: “We haven’t done any baking for a year or so now. We started off as a café-bakery, but that’s not what people wanted.”