Taking Jamaica to the World
Today, Kingston; tomorrow, the world — it’s the apparent business model for the upscale Usain Bolt-branded eatery Tracks and Records, which opened at The Marketplace earlier this month.
The eatery’s proprietors Gary Matalon, his wife Tina Matalon, and colleague Kevin Bourke, who together front Kingston Live Entertainment (KLE) Group, told the audience at yesterday’s Jamaica Observer Foodie Seminar that plans are in the making to franchise the Tracks and Records brand with another location in the pipeline for the Falmouth cruise ship pier. Locations are also being envisioned for Atlanta, New York, Toronto, and London.
In their insightful presentation, complete with high-tech interactive video features detailing the eatery’s construction process and Bolt’s international appeal, the KLE partners stressed that there is global potential for the Tracks and Records brand.
The Marketplace eatery, which its owners told the seminar’s audience was constructed with a US$1.2-million price tag, has the distinctive ability to be a marketable brand given the worldwide celebrity status of Usain Bolt paired with the Jamaican brand.
Matalon explained to the seminar’s roomful of attendees at the Jamaica Pegasus that Tracks and Records was particularly designed to incorporate motifs that highlight Bolt’s track profession. It also utilises Jamaican culture in its décor and menu offerings while being contemporary in its use of technology and aesthetic appeal.
The Foodie Seminar’s audience comprised a wide cross-section of players in the local food industry, including restaurateurs, event planners, chefs, and hoteliers. Held under the theme, “Get Up, Get Driven, Get Creative! The Possibilities are Endless”, the seminar, which was filled to capacity, served as the precursor event to the prestigious Jamaica Observer Food Awards which will be held on the East Lawn at Devon House this evening.