The Reef Restaurant

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The Reef Restaurant, located on University Drive in Oakes Field, New Providence, was established in 1960 by a Canadian couple, the Guys. Upon their departure from The Bahamas in the late 1960s they turned over the ownership of the restaurant to their head cook, Mrs. Loletta Jackson, and her husband, Errol Jackson. The Jacksons ran the restaurant as a family business. They and their five children manned the restaurant through decades, and, under their leadership, the Reef became one of the most popular and well-known eateries in The Bahamas. The Reef, which was the first drive-in restaurant in The Bahamas, attracts customers from all over New Providence with its old-fashioned and native Bahamian cuisine, including college students, government workers, and politicians, who were drawn by the good food and the stimulating conversation. After more than five decades in operation, and after overcoming two major fires, the Reef is still going strong and enjoys its longstanding reputation as a Bahamian tradition.