Around 20 people, young and old, from the Island's hospitality industry, converged on the Cabinet lawn for lunch with Premier Ewart Brown yesterday.

The Premier's 'initial Brown Bag lunch' was described as an extension of Dr. Brown's 'Open Door Policy' that lets members of the public schedule time to meet with him to discuss any subject.

Free drinks and light refreshments are provided, however, you must bring your own lunch, just as the Premier did yesterday, enjoying a homemade ham sandwich as well as pineapple sherbet and ice cream for desert.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette, Dr. Brown explained: "On the heels of the new tourism data released yesterday, it was fitting to sit down with some hospitality workers.

"As I said yesterday, we need to put the Bermudian back in Bermuda tourism and that is exactly what these men and women represent. "They talked to me about their day-to-day work in the local hotel industry and I talked to them about my ideas to revitalise the industry.

"I'm glad they came it was time well spent. I look forward to the next lunch on the lawn."

Not surprisingly, the issue of the controversial Southlands hotel development arose.

Ashley Tucker, 19, a Bermudian summer student currently employed at a popular restaurant, was the first to raise the Southlands SDO issue.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to have a casual lunch with the Premier, I had a few questions on my mind and it was great to meet people that are also interested in the hospitality industry," she told The Royal Gazette. "I hope that other people take advantage of this opportunity and come and ensure that they have any questions they may have, sorted out."

Ms Tucker, who is studying culinary nutrition and just graduated with an Associates Degree from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, added: "I was concerned about the Southlands SDO because we've been hearing all this buzz about it and its planned tunnel that they're going to have to dig. And I was under the impression that South Shore Road is going to have a tunnel which members of the public will have to travel under.

"But the Premier clarified that we, the public, will not have to go under any tunnel and in fact, it will be the guests of the hotel that will have to go under a tunnel only for beach access."

Dr. Brown said the proposed tunnel for the luxury resort would be similar to the one at the Fairmont Southampton Princess hotel.

"I think he has a good plan¿ he's in touch with the people," said Vince Rabain, 57, an employee at the Rosedon Hotel on Pitts Bay Road, who wanted to discuss his concerns about the Island's state of local entertainment with Dr. Brown.

He added: "It looks as if though, futuristically, if we get these new (hotel) properties up and running that there will be nightclubs in these facilities, which will help local entertainers."

On the Southlands controversy, Mr. Rabain said: "The only reason why I would actually disagree with that hotel being built is because of what it may do to the environment. Because it relates to moving all that green. My protests are mostly about the colour of the atmosphere around here, that's all but a lot of people protest things but sometimes it's not based on actual facts they're protesting.

"While they're protests may indeed be valid, some people only protest because someone else is. If I protested that, it would because of the trees being cut down and after a lot of my own investigation."

Also present at the roughly one-hour lunch, was Minister of Social Rehabilitation Dale Butler and the Premier's Chief of Staff Senator Wayne Caines.

"This is an excellent initiative that has been brought through by the Premier where he can meet with a number of people in the community," Sen. Caines said. "During the next planned luncheon, we plan to have people that are from the disabled community, we're inviting everybody, and there's about 25 names we plan to reach out to."

"We're seeing that they're a number of people in the community the Premier is in touch with and, in keeping with that philosophy, we're trying to see what they're needs and concerns are."