WESTERN BUREAU — Restaurants of Jamaica, the local franchise holders for KFC, say they were absent from this year’s Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest because the annual festival has proven not to be a good investment for them.

Donald Baugh, KFC’s director of restaurant operations, was responding to Summerfest Productions chairman Robert Russell’s statement that the show promoters had taken a “conscious decision” not to have the fast food giant at this year’s event in light of their reduced sponsorship of the show.

Russell had told the Observer that Summerfest had also taken into consideration the stiff competition posed to the small Montego Bay vendors by KFC.

“We did make a conscious decision not to have KFC there (this year). Initially, KFC was one of our big sponsors. But although we received their sponsorship, we were still very cognisant of the plight of the vendors,” Russell said.

He said that the restaurant chain reduced their sponsorship therefore Summerfest decided that if they were “not a title sponsor and just another vendor per se, we would much rather have the little people…”

However, Baugh explained that KFC opted to reduce their sponsorship because they have not seen any returns on their investment in the reggae show over the years.

“Last year, we got into the whole question of what is Sumfest worth to us and usually what we put in there is a major sponsorship amount, which we don’t even make a fraction of that back in our catering. It’s so expensive for us to do it,” Baugh said.

“When we looked at other ways to invest the PR dollar, Sumfest was just not a good investment at all. It is good for those brands with international appeal but not for ours which is really local — KFC Jamaica.”

But even with the lack of profits, Baugh said they would have participated in this year’s event as a vendor, except that Summerfest Productions, who wanted them there, was unable to fulfil KFC’s requirements.

These, he said, included:

* Summerfest agreeing to the number of staff members required to man KFC’s booth(s);

* supplying the catering staff with individual tickets since a new team of workers would work each night; and

* making arrangements to collect the tickets from the staff members at the entrance for caterers.

He said that after a lot of discussion, “they finally decided they couldn’t do those things. So we decided fine… we wish you all the best.”

Asked whether KFC will sponsor the event next year, Baugh said, “That is all a question of a rationalisation process. Like many other companies, you have to now look at what you’re doing and decide how to get the best returns.

“The show is of great value to Jamaica and we certainly hope it continues to succeed. Goodwill is of such great value to all players that we all need to be careful what we do to the players in the society.”

Baugh also said that KFC’s contribution over the years had helped to keep the annual reggae festival afloat.

“If we didn’t go in there and put some good standards at a reasonable price, a lot of these shows would collapse because people can’t pay a high price for the show and then be required to pay a high price for the food…,” he said.

“We were invited by some producers to solve that problem that their show could remain viable and appealing to patrons. That is the role the organisers saw for us and I think we fulfilled that role. In fact, the level of our sponsorship is probably something that should come more from the hotel operators and other businesses in Montego Bay who are the direct beneficiaries of the event,” Baugh said.

He also sought to assure small vendors that they needed not fear KFC’s presence at the reggae show as long as they offered quality service at a reasonable price, which, he said, is what KFC offered.