Bob Fowler (second left) of Bob Fowler & Associates, architects, discusses drawings for the reimaging of the KFC Red Hills Road restaurant with (from left) Wayne Gilzene, project contractor; Michael Robinson of Michael Robinson & Associates, quantity surveyors; Joan Swire, projects/maintenance manager for KFC; and Mark Myers, managing director of KFC. They were at a recent contract-signing ceremony for the project, held in the KFC board room, Old Hope Road, Kingston. - Contributed

Mark Myers, managing director of Restaurants of Jamaica (ROJ), says he will be adding five new KFC stores to the chain over the next two years, as part of an $800 million investment over the next two years.

The five stores will be done in the new image being effected throughout the KFC chain to reposition the fast-food operation as a place for casual dining.

It costs approximately US$1 million ($71 million) on average to establish a new restaurant, Myers told Wednesday Business, with the final price determined by location and size of the operation.

Alongside the five new stores, another 12 in the chain are to be 'reimaged' by 2009, starting with the Red Hills Road and Old Hope Road locations in Kingston.

The job for the Red Hills project was contracted on October 16.

Locations identified

Already, two locations for new KFC restaurants have been identified in St. Catherine - one on property in Old Harbour Square that ROJ acquired from Honey- crust Bakery, a business owned by Prime Minister Bruce Golding and run by his son Steven Golding, and the other on lands acquired at Independence City for a third restaurant, to be opened in mid-2008, to serve Portmore.

It will be the first restaurant for Old Harbour. KFC will take possession of the Old Harbour property in November "for the restaurant to be ready for opening in the first quarter of 2008".

Myers said KFC had appointed a realtor to scout for appropriate locations throughout the country, leading to the Old Harbour acquisition.

"This approach at identifying suitable locations has been very successful and will continue," he said.

The Independence City restaurant will be a full-service facility, and is expected to relieve some of the demand on the two KFC locations in Portmore, both of which currently handle very high levels of customer traffic.

"In essence," said Myers, "the opening of the KFC Independence City restaurant will give us geographic balance in terms of the location of our restaurants in the community."

business@gleanerjm.com