Burger King about job creation

Local officials of fast-food chain Burger King are boasting of helping to boost employment for young people over the past decade as they celebrate the restaurant’s tenth anniversary in Barbados.
However, General Manager Ryan Walters has pointed to some challenges.
During a media conference on Thursday to outline plans for a week of celebrations to mark the milestone, Walters told reporters that one of the biggest challenges continued to be the lack of investment in a mass production facility here, due to a seeming lack of demand.
“We have not been able to move the business from importation [of some items] to locally produced because manufacturers need scope, so they need a certain level of purchasing. So we have to build out our business so that we can get the level of consumption that they would need to make considerable [production] to be a viable option for them; and two, the capital cost that they would have to incur to build out to meet our standards in terms of how we want our product manufactured.
“Those were things we were in early discussions with some of the major manufacturers here, but with the advent of COVID, for the last three years those conversations were stalled.”
Walters said despite that, Burger King was still able to continue its expansion, opening a new outlet.
“And as we expand, we will continue to have volumes that will be attractive to them [manufacturers] to get them involved, which will make the investment for them easier in terms of return on their investment,” he explained.
He also indicated that the company continued to face significant high costs in import duties, a challenge that has been plaguing the industry since 2015 when duties were increased from 20 per cent to just over 100 per cent on some of the items the local operations of the American-based burger giant required.
Nevertheless, Walters told the media conference that loyal customers and hardworking staff members have contributed significantly to the company’s performance over the years.
Franchise licence holder Restaurant Associates Barbados Limited opened the first branch of the food chain at Sky Mall in Haggatt Hall, St Michael in 2013.
“The idea and subsequent action which led to the introduction of a burger brand in less than 10 years after another international brand failed miserably was, at the time, a bold and brave step by the investors of Restaurant Associates Barbados Limited,” Walters said.
“It was a decision that rested in the vision to succeed. This vision was bolstered by vast enterprise experience, the financial commitment to see it through and a hard working and loyal and dedicated cohort of staff. This vision could not have flourished without one key stakeholder – our customers.”
Walters said one of the high points for Burger King over the past ten years was the employment opportunities it provided especially for young people.
However, while the company boasts of some 212 employees, about 98 per cent of which are under the age of 40 and a significant number of those under the age of 35, Walters explained that once trained many were seeking employment elsewhere, leading to a high turnover rate.
“It is an industry challenge locally and internationally because as we meet with the other franchisees outside of the island, this challenge is really trying to settle down a labour force that works in the QRS [quick service restaurant] industry,” he said.
“Young people are looking for different things. I am not sure if something happened during COVID that they are looking for different things, but we are happy to be able to encourage them to work. We pay above 10 per cent of the minimum wage and we offer employee growth.”
There are currently seven Burger King restaurants across the island, and though indicating that there were no immediate plans of further expansion, officials said they looked forward to continuing the growth of the business and to help create job opportunities for residents.
The week of activities will kick off with a service of celebration on Sunday, March 12, at the Sanctuary Empowerment Centre. This will be followed by an Employee Appreciation Day on Wednesday.
The company will launch a job-swap programme next Thursday and Friday, giving employees the opportunity to explore different areas in the company and expand their skill set.
On Saturday, there will be a customer appreciation celebration with treats and giveaways at the locations. The week of activities will culminate with an award ceremony on Sunday, March 19.
(MM)