KINGSTON, Jamaica - Juici Patties is set to open a new outlet in upper St Andrew by year-end. The new Constant Spring Road facility — next door to the Tax Department — is currently under construction.

It represents a strategic move by the restaurant chain to position itself in the upper-middle to higher-income market, said Juici marketing manager Jackie Scott.

“We believe that we have not tapped into the upper St Andrew market as we would have liked,” said Scott. “We really wanted to capture that end of the market.”

The outlet will add to the fast-growing restaurant franchise network which already totals more than 50 outlets islandwide. Scott said it will be a dining facility featuring the flagship patty products and the regular variety of cooked meals, but will also have sections for ice cream and pastries.

“It will be a nice eatery and will be much different in terms of the decor and so on,” she said.

In addition to the relatively higher purchasing power of consumers in the area, the new Juici Patties could also benefit from being just across the road from more than 1,600 students at Immaculate Conception High School. It will also be in close proximity to a number of offices, including the Tax Department and Scotia Group Financial Centre.

Juici will compete directly for customers with two Sugar and Spice bakery outlets that will sandwich its new restaurant on Constant Spring road — one at Upper Manor Park Plaza and another recently built bakery near the Queen’s High School. Sugar and Spice is a major outlet for Juici rival Tastee patties and is also popular for its variety of cakes and pastries.

Another Juici outlet in Stony Hill square was geared in part towards capturing the Constant Spring traffic which travels up that way. However, it lacks parking and drive-thru facilities similar to a competing Tastee outlet a few yards away.

“We have addressed those issues (with the new outlet) and believe that persons who travel that area often enough would have an appreciation for this store,” said Scott. “It will definitely be a seller for Juici.”

The Juici Patties franchise has rapidly expanded over its more than 30 years of existence. Founder Jukie Chin was nominated in 2000 for the Observer Business Leader Award for developing the Juici-brand from a crude, single man operation, into a major restaurant chain with branches in all parishes.