By Alexis Monteith

BirdShack Fried Chicken franchise is set to launch two additional stores in Jamaica, unveiling its inaugural restaurant in Ocho Rios with an investment of $70 million. Its third establishment in Montego Bay is backed by a $50-million investment.

The Montego Bay opening is scheduled for Saturday, February 3, followed by the Ocho Rios launch on Thursday, February 29.

Wayne Cummings, CEO of Arya QSR Limited, operators of the BirdShack Fried Chicken franchise, announced that the Montego Bay restaurant will serve the busy city centre from its strategically placed location at 10 Barnett Street.

“It is right in the heart of the city and immediately in front of the bus park behind the fire station,” Cummings explained. “So it is one hundred per cent pedestrian and also public transportation that is going to feed this store. I have no doubt about that. This is probably going to be our most active Montego Bay–based store.”

The outlet joins two other Montego Bay locations: Whitter Village in Ironshore and Barnett Tech Park in Fairfield.

“It is larger than the Whitter Village store but smaller than the one at Barnett Tech Park, but it couldn’t be in a better location,” the CEO added.

The Ocho Rios restaurant will be a 3,000 square-foot superstore located at the new Ocho Rios Bypass Plaza, next door to the recently established Fesco Gas Station on the bypass road.

“We are excited about the neighborhood in general,” Cummings said. “While we don’t have a drive through, we will have a lot of seating, great visual exposure and we think it is going to be a great family-centred location.”

The franchise holders are bullish on the store becoming a fast favourite for customers in the resort town and its environs, revealing that this particular outlet will offer something new for patrons.

“Given the additional square footage we have, we’re also going to launch an ice cream business inside the store,” the Arya QSR executive disclosed. “So there are two separate counters. There is BirdShack Fried Chicken and then there is another one, off to the side, that is going to be called Frosted Shack inside the same location. So, we are going to trial that partnership and see how it works.”

Cummings clarified that Frosted Shack is an entirely new venture and not part of the Bird Shack franchise. It represents a distinct and innovative addition to the business with the introduction of a separate concept within the same location.

While the developments on the aforementioned locations are continuing apace, Arya QSR is actively in planning for a fifth store set to be opened in Drax Hall, St Ann.

At the first store’s launch on April 22, 2022, the company promised to open at least nine stores by 2026. This goal is being realised well ahead of the initial development timelines, which augurs well for the franchise to exceed nine stores by the end of 2026.

BirdShack’s expansion is also being bolstered by positive performances from its existing Whitter Village and Barnett Tech Park locations.

“Whitter Village is flying,” Cummings declared. “It continues to surprise us at the amount of people it gets in there and the amount of product we get out of there.”

He also disclosed that in terms of sales, the Tech Park location is meeting budget expectations, with ramped-up marketing efforts currently in progress to realise the potential for increased capacity on certain days.

To overcome the current shortage of labour affecting the island, the CEO also reported that a new recruitment formula being implemented by the company has garnered strong responses. Staff are already hired and undergoing orientation for the Barnett Street location. For the Ocho Rios location, resumes are being received, interviews are being scheduled and a job fair is planned for the middle of February.

“Notwithstanding the difficulties all businesses face in finding staff, we are pleased that with 100 employees already on our payroll, by the time we open the fourth store, we will be the proud employers of 150 amazing Jamaicans,” Cummings said. “With that, we couldn’t be more pleased that not only is Jamaica showing real love for BirdShack Fried Chicken, but we are impacting the economic lives of so many with each store we open.”