Salmon, angus and alcohol at the Deputies' restaurant

Santo Domingo.- Within the Chamber of Deputies, the institutional restaurant operates with a level of consumption that is far from the usual in a public dining room. Purchase orders reveal a list of products that includes Chilean salmon, halibut, sea bass, and sirloin angus cuts, along with wines and liquors registered as kitchen supplies. One of the orders allows for the sizing of that pattern. For a single week in December 2025, an order was processed for RD$489,248.50 exclusively for meats, fish, and seafood. That document includes 100 pounds of sea bass loin, at RD$820.10 per pound, for a total of more than RD$82 thousand in a single product. Also included were 70 pounds of halibut, at RD$731.60 per pound, for more than RD$51 thousand, and 100 pounds of Chilean salmon, exceeding RD$69 thousand. Added to this are other fish such as red snapper, kingfish, and cod, which together exceed an additional RD$100 thousand within the same request. The pattern is repeated in the meat line. In six purchase orders analyzed, 12,410 pounds were identified, for an amount of RD$1,461,700, which include from chicken and pork to higher-level cuts. In December, for example, 100 pounds of sirloin angus were purchased, for RD$62,000, and 30 pounds of imported churrasco, for RD$24,900.

We recommend reading: The State spent more than RD$1.152 billion on lunches in two years

In addition to these products, there are dairy products and derivatives. Spending on charcuterie and cheeses exceeds RD$684 thousand, with purchases such as Manchego cheese, acquired at almost RD$1,200 per pound, as well as cream cheese and mozzarella in constant volumes. In other lines, imported seeds appear, with prices of up to RD$1,640 per bottle, and drinks such as cooking wine, amaretto and Brugal extra old rum, included within the same supply scheme. Purchases do not respond to a specific event. They are repeated every week, often to cover a few working days, but they sustain a continuous operation. In those lists, basic products such as bananas, cassava, or rice coexist... with supplies that meet another standard.