Juici Patties officially opened the doors of its new franchise in the up-and-coming Drax Hall community in St Ann with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 6.

The new restaurant at the Drax Hall Boot Service Station spans approximately 2,000 square feet and employs 30 staff members. According to a Juici Patties representative, the retrofitting of the store cost approximately US$1 million; however, there was no disclosure as to the funding.

The franchisee is Golden Grain Baking Company Limited, headed by directors Shermaine Desnoes and Glen O’Connor. With a wealth of experience in business, both directors are equipped to guide the operation toward continued growth and success.

For its part, Juici Patties anticipates the new branch will continue to deliver the golden standard – the Juici Patties experience – to customers who patronise the store.

While sharing her excitement with the grand opening, franchise co-owner Shermaine Desnoes related the duo’s motivation in investing in the restaurant.

“We are both ‘foodies’ coming from ‘cooking families’, both with deeply multi-cultural backgrounds, and we always wanted to open a restaurant. In fact, we have been encouraged by family and friends to do this for many years, especially after one of our ‘cook-ups’. We love good food and always strive for the best in all that we do. This is the kind of passion we are bringing to the Drax Hall community through the Juici Patties brand,” she said.

She continued: “Juici Patties is a brand that we grew up loving as children. It has always been our favourite brand of patties. When people speak about authentic Jamaican food, patties are at the top of the list and Juici has made the best patties in Jamaica for decades. It’s a world-class brand offering world-class products.

Desnoes and O’Connor began making enquiries into owning a Juici Patties franchise about 16 years ago. However, at the time, no franchising opportunities were available.

With the re-emergence of the Juici Patties brand as seen in the new locations, especially in the US, the business partners again enquired and were successful.

“We have waited many years for this opportunity and hope to play our part in bringing the authentic Juici experience to customers every day in Drax Hall,” Desnoes said.

Speaking at the event, Matthew Samuda, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth & Job Creation and Member of Parliament for North East St Ann, congratulated the franchise owners and welcomed them to the community.

He cited the arrival of the restaurant as a substantial investment in the community, and that it is set to bring about a far-reaching positive impact.

Samuda further committed to lending his full support to the team at Drax Hall as they grow from strength to strength.

Joseph Issa, the custos rotulorum for the parish of St Ann, also extended congratulations to the Drax Hall team. He also commended Juici Patties CEO Jukie Chin and director Edith Chin, crediting the brand’s success to their devotion to the customer and community over the years.

This new location adds to the exponential growth Drax Hall is currently experiencing. As such, O’Connor cited this as one of the main reasons for selecting the location.

“It is such an exciting time for Drax Hall right now!” explained O’Connor.

“It’s one of the fastest-growing communities in Jamaica, and a lot of prominent businesses are emerging. There are also several residential areas and newly built housing developments in and around the area. It’s difficult to ignore the modern motif of the businesses opening up in the Drax Hall area – the look and feel reflects a ‘First-world’, ‘hip strip’ and ‘entertainment centre’…With many metropolitan conveniences coming to the area, we’re convinced Juici Patties has a natural place amidst the action,” he added.

Since its opening, the restaurant has performed exceptionally, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community. Members of the community have described its arrival as long overdue.

Desnoes and O’Connor anticipate that the restaurant will continue to deliver the standard quality of the Juci Patties brand, maintaining a reputation for its exceptional variety, its great service and convenient opening hours.

“Juici complements the Boot Service Station as a one-stop experience. The gas station also has a supermarket, pharmacy, bill express, lottery store, and phone top-up. etc,” the Juici Patties representative informed Our Today.

She added that with Boot being a busy location, it matches perfectly with the full-service Juici Patties store, which opens every day from 6:30 am to late evenings.

“The soon-to-be-opened drive-thru helps to service the entire Drax Hall community, commuters and motorists along the North Coast Highway,” she further stated.