At the Parrillada private restaurant, located in the capital municipality, the affordable prices and the quality of the food make the difference in these times of speculative prices.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- Still, almost a month after the implementation of the new policy as part of the Ordering Task started on January 1st, the price issue continues to be one of the most mentioned topics in the public agenda. Already, as if it were normal, we are confronted with high abusive amounts, which are far from the logical salary-expenditure accounts that we make.

Since 2020, when the changes started to be announced, in a false start and without a red flag to stop them, prices have shot up in the daily marathon. Since then, the tendency has been to continue in the race without stopping, and as in a relay competition, other categories are joining the race and increasing their rates, simply because everything has gone up.

Faced with this reality that is lived today in the country, there are still those who do not lacerate this sensitive area of society. In the heart of the main city of this territory, those who approach the gastronomic establishment known as La Parrillada, in the non-state sector, are astonished. What should be the rule is now the exception, the food offered there, with the highest quality, seems to be from another time, because believe it, my friend reader, they have not raised their prices.

Sorry, is this state-run? They ask again and again to the sales clerk. But these prices have not changed," those who visit the restaurant comment again and again, loudly and with astonishment. The result: a full restaurant and successful sales that alleviate the needs and give peace of mind to the pocket.

María Rodríguez has already become a regular customer of this restaurant. Whenever she has a chance, she has her lunch or snack in this restaurant. "The offer is exquisite, affordable. They don't lower the quality just because they sell cheap", she says.

Anabel, a neighbor of the Buena Vista neighborhood, and everyone who passes by agree. "The food is very well prepared, it is an excellent option for the people in these times in which everything has increased", she emphasizes, and so, again and again, the same opinions are heard.

Motivated to know the strategy that the owner Yaíma Ferrales Fonseca implements to achieve these goals, in the first five seconds of the interview I realized that I was looking to discover the warm water, as they say in good Cuban.

"I simply apply the ABC of a good merchant: sell a lot and cheaply, and not a little and expensively. With this, the product rotates every day, it does not age, it is offered fresh and above all, we make a greater volume of production using fewer resources, such as electricity, oil, liquefied gas..., which reduces our expenses and we do not have to add it to the price of the menu", she explains.

"The total use of resources in processing is our daily practice. The croquettes, the medallions, and fried foods that we offer with bread, we make them from the by-products and the trimmings of the rations for the restaurant and with this, we extend the food and reduce costs.

"Undoubtedly, another element that has also contributed to maintaining these prices is the support that the Government is giving us through the supply by wholesale companies. Products such as wheat flour, sugar, rice, syrups, and others, contribute significantly to maintain a low cost and we can offer them to the people at these prices, which is also the objective of this measure.

From Monday to Friday this restaurant sells breakfast from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and from that time until 2:00 p.m., lunch. The so-called completa (full meal), which includes grains, viands, vegetables, protein, broths, and a liquid, costs 30.00 pesos in local currency.

With this and other examples, it is evident that price formation cannot be superficial, nor can it go up because the one next door went up. The Ordering Task requires a permanent evaluation of real costs, and the decisions must be based on a logical equation, in which the rope does not break in the public's pocket.

The general reform of salaries implies an improvement in income and the satisfaction of basic and vital needs, which, although it forces us to do more accounting, cannot become a sort of marathon. The proof is here, a better offer is possible and with high-quality parameters.