Island Grill will officially launch its flagship U.S. restaurant this Saturday, May 5, at the newest store in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. - ContributedISLAND GRILL is the latest local enterprise to benefit from international funding with the support of JAMPRO's Trade Development Project (TDP) a technical assistance project jointly funded by the Government of Jamaica and the European Union.
The restaurant will this week be the first Caribbean fast food chain to establish a pilot operation which will be the basis for franchise operations in the USA. The Trade Development Project provides technical assistance to private sector enterprises focused on expanding to international markets. The four-year project, which started in 2000, has worked with more than 40 enterprises and service providers to improve business performance and maximise potential by enhancing product quality and efficiency with a view to exports. The TDP is funded by a 6 million Euro grant from the EDF.
In the case of Island Grill, the Trade Development Project co-funded all the development activities necessary for the establishment of the new branch of the restaurant chain in Lauder-lakes Mall, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This covered marketing & public relations, training, development of management information systems, quality management and product research inclusive of development of all operating manuals.
Yvonne Hall, project manager, said, "Jamaican jerk has now surpassed an exotic status. Around the world, restaurant menus have been infused with jerk and it's safe to say that the influence of Jamaica is now an easy, if not expected, part of international cuisine." "In addition to facilitating business development, the Trade Dev-elopment Project is extremely keen on helping Jamaican businesses seize the opportunities that international cultural interest in all things Jamaican can bring. Our support of Island Grill is an excellent indicator of this approach." Miss Hall noted that there is a benefit to the Jamaican economy which is the backward linkages to the productive sector where Jamaican products will be sold and used in the Island Grill restaurant. In addition we anticipate that when the operation is franchised, earnings will flow back to Jamaica as the company is 100 per cent Jamaican-owned."
Under the leadership of chief executive Thalia Lyn, in its ten years of operation Island Grill has become one of Jamaica's fastest growing businesses. There are five local restaurants featuring a menu of traditional Jamaican favourites: jerked chicken, jerked fish and festival. The chain also operates a joint-venture restaurant called Bamboula in Brixton England and there are plans for 20 shops in the US and Europe over the next five years.
Through JAMPRO, the TDP funds a wide scope of business activities for enterprises to establish a significant presence in the export markets. Among the activities eligible for TDP support are:
Market research and Development
Product Research, Design and Development
Production Efficiency and Quality Management
Packaging
Advertising and Marketing
Human Resources Development and Training
Management Information Systems
Distribution Systems
Investment Sourcing
The Trade Development Project provides assistance to private sector companies, service providers and business associations who demonstrate the potential for sustainable international production and trade growth. Beneficiaries are expected to demonstrate their own commitment by sharing the cost of eligible activities outlined in their business development plan.
