Barbara Ellington, Senior Gleaner Writer
( left ) Mark Myers, general manager of Restaurants of Jamaica, tells of his plans to expand the number of KFC outlets to 40, during an interview at his Valentine Drive, St. Andrew offices last Wednesday. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
( right ) KFC boss Mark Myers congratulates two of his longest serving members, Edris Nelson (left) and Angella Cornwall, at KFC's 30th anniversary media launch press briefing at Terra Nova Hotel in January. - RUDOLPH BROWN/
CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
AT AGE 37, Restaurants of Jamaica general manager Mark Myers has been involved in running a major business for 29 years. When he was eight, he got his first job to hand out balloons at a store opening, and shortly thereafter he spent summers loading trucks and doing other jobs that set him in good stead to learn the ropes from the ground up.
Himself a father of three sons, aged 14, 12 and seven, he employed his 14-year-old to pack boxes in the warehouse last summer and focuses on expanding the family business to leave a legacy for the next generation of Myers.
But the popular Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) that Jamaicans know and love is now 30 years old and Mr. Myers is proud of the past and looking to the future. The business began with his late father Tony Myers who left 13 restaurants in the island. That number will grow to 30 by month-end and there is a projection for 40 by 2006.
The Syracuse University Business major graduate spoke with The Gleaner about the early beginnings, the challenges with training a desired workforce, plans for the future and the currently controversial extortion racket facing legitimate business operators in Jamaica.
BE: Did you set out wanting to work in the family business, or was it expected of you?
MM: It was definitely expected of me, but after leaving university I had plans to work overseas for a few years before coming home to the business. I was offered a job and I called dad to tell him about it. He was very supportive but said whether I came home now or later, my first job would be to mop the floors. I had a couple days to give my new employer an answer but I only waited a few hours to call my father back and I told him I'd come home at the end of summer.
I am glad I learnt from the ground up, got the basic product training and went to Louisville, Kentucky, where I did restaurant management training. I came home in the aftermath of Hurricane Gilbert so I got the baptism by fire. I saw how my father, the team and the company handled a disaster, and that knowledge was helpful when Hurricane Ivan hit last year. The lesson is to be available after a crisis.
BE: Take me through the Restaurant of Jamaica/KFC story and your family. How did it all begin?
MM: KFC as a brand was here before the KFC restaurants came. Jamaica was the first country outside the continental United States to have KFC restaurants, and my parents got into the business with a second restaurant before buying out other stores (Tops) that sold KFC. We have worked hard to maintain our position in the Quick Service Restaurants (QSR). Restaurants of Jamaica was founded in 1973 and we went public in 1975. We also have the Pizza Hut chain. We would add another brand because it's part of our continuing development.
BE: With the large number of QSRs already here, can our market handle more?
MM: There are many QSRs but some of those have a marginal longevity so there is definitely opportunity in other areas for new players to come in. We will be opening up our 30th store by month-end in Port Antonio and eventually we hope to have 40.
BE: Many QSRs are now offering salads on their menu, will KFC be a part of that trend considering the growing trend among persons who prefer to eat healthy?
MM: I recognise it as a trend and salads will be part of our offering considering the focus we now have. When we do make a salad, it will be of world-class standard and be affordable.
BE: With all the competition around, how have you managed to maintain your market share?
MM: Lifestyles have changed and the market has broadened to become an on-the-go society; people need quick fixes and we have maintained our focus with our core product. We do chicken on the bone and we must make sure it's of good value, affordable and accessible so each new competitor just makes us focus more on what we should be doing right.
BE: How many persons do you employ and how do you find them?
MM: Roughly 2,000, but it varies seasonally. We do a lot of recruiting through job fairs but our restaurant managers now do direct recruiting. We hire many from inner-city communities and we are very supportive of the communities they come from. We have to impress it on them that good service is what pays their bills. We do internal inspections where the best performance is graded monthly and where improvement is needed, it is addressed immediately. We have a zero tolerance on (bad) hospitality and our staff members have to be professional and courteous.
BE: What percentage of the raw material comes from Jamaica?
MM: We use 100 per cent local agricultural produce, including chicken; and except for corn and French fries, our boxes and cups are produced locally. The forks are packaged here.
BE: What is your biggest challenge?
MM: Training is the biggest challenge. We have many willing people, but not a large enough pool of willing skilled people. Because we are the company that many young people start their working life with, there is a high level of attrition. The staff is largely in their teens and 20s so they come in, get the experience and move on. At the managerial level, many of the staff are older than I am and I had to earn their respect but we work hard, keep them involved and focused and teach them not to take customers for granted.
BE: What gives you the most satisfaction in your job?
MM: The staff and being able to get them to be the best, thereby protecting the legacy and taking the business from the 13 stores when my dad died, to 30 now.
BE: Have you ever been approached by extortionists, and being a member of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), if approached, what would you do?
MM: I don't believe we have ever been directly approached because in the 'problem' areas where we operate, we are proactive and support the schools, sports clubs, service organisations and neighbourhood associations. Plus, KFC hires a large number of persons from troubled communities. If I were approached by extortionists, I would not succumb, but I am not sure how I would handle it. I would rather help an entire community than support one individual out of force. Our managers work very hard within their environments and try to be involved.
BE: How do you think the JCC and other business organisations should deal with the extortion problem?
MM: We should stand together and oppose it rather than wait till it affects one individual to get involved. I have travelled the Caribbean and seen that Jamaica has the best to offer.
BE: Since the terrible escalation of violence, I have had conversations with businessmen and women in your age group and they have said they have made their minds up to move elsewhere in the Caribbean with their families but still come in just to do business because they fear for their lives and those of their loved ones. Would you leave Jamaica?
MM: My parents weathered the challenges of the '70s, '80s and '90s; as children we did not have a choice when they sent us away in the problem years but I hope it does not get to that point where I have to do the same. I would prefer to send my children away to further their education and broaden their horizons, not out of fear for their lives.
BE: You are a father of sons. Boys and young men are the ones most affected by crime, are they aware of what is going on in the country? Do you discuss it as a family, what do you tell them?
MM: They are aware; at their ages the older ones understand the situation clearly and so at school they are involved in community service where they visit homes for orphans, the aged and do things like clean up the beaches. They understand that from their position of privilege, they are expected to give back. Crime touches everyone and many of their friends are affected. They discuss it at school so they have to learn to be careful and aware of their surroundings. It's sad that they cannot be carefree in our society but at home they learn from family discussions that they have to be considerate toward others and share in order to make their country better.
BE: We are approaching another Father's Day; what are some of the lessons you learnt from your father about business and about being a man, that you are passing on to your sons?
MM: He taught me to be dedicated to the business. When he was alive, he always maintained 24-hour radio contact with the stores so he would love this cellphone age. He visited the store personally after dinner every day and had a hands-on approach which made him aware of all that was going on. He said be on top of things, or they will run away from you. As a man he was very supportive of us and was a great provider for his family. He taught me to view not just my wife, children, siblings and mother with respect but all of our over 2,000 staff, because they keep us in business. He made me realise that I have to be responsible about business decisions that will affect the lives of everyone. I am trying to pass these on to my sons.
BE: What is your long-term vision for Restaurants of Jamaica and for the country?
MM: To continue on our growth path, thereby providing jobs for Jamaicans. As far as the country is concerned, if we can get a handle on the crime that so preoccupies us now, it would leave us time and effort to do other things.
BE: Can you offer any solutions?
MM: The simplest solutions are responsibility and accountability.
BE: How do you see the current economic climate in relation to being encouraging to business?
MM: Everything macro is falling into place but we have to be prudent because a hurricane can set us back badly. The political leaders have to be prudent about some of their ambitious projects which mean progress but which we may not need immediately. There is a slight dip in the economy now and this could be attributed to the increase in General Consumption Tax (GCT). I think also that Operation Kingfish is having an effect on some sources of income. But, as a nation we have to be fiscally responsible; we cannot spend what we do not have.
