IRONSHORE, Montego Bay – Arya Holdings plans to pump at least another $160 million into expanding its Birdshack franchise this year, starting with a location in downtown Montego Bay. It will then turn its attention to Jamaica’s capital and beyond.

“We are required to open two additional stores this year which are very much in the planning stages. Right now we are looking to open another store here in Montego Bay. And then by December, if not before, we are going to open another in Kingston and then as we go forward, other major towns as well,” Arya Holdings CEO Wayne Cummings told the Jamaica Observer.

“Our customers from Kingston are urging us to build out a store up there. In fact, they say they will stop talking to us if we don’t,” he said with a laugh.

Heartened by the performance of the $40-million Ironshore location, the two being planned this year will be larger venues.

“The capital cost for each of them is $80 million and will provide much larger frying capacity, cold storage, etc. It will also include some seating for customers, which doesn’t exist at the Ironshore location,” Cummings explained.

Arya Holdings has exclusive rights to operate the local franchise of the American Birdshack brand in Jamaica. The Ironshore location was opened in April 2022 and according to Cummings, they have been hitting their financial targets and have been pleasantly surprised at how well they have done against established players.

“I’m going to say that any surprises that we’ve had is that the budgets, the KPIs, have stood up even operating beside some very good competitors in the marketplace. We’ve done well even as the new boys, so much so we feel confident as we go forward,” he told Observer West.

Arya Holdings entered the market with a clear plan for making Birdshack a household name across Jamaica. This involves opening nine stores within five years. Cummings is confident they will be able to meet that goal.

His strategy is to tackle the competition head-on.

“I believe we have taken a bite out of the market share. I have long respected the competition and the space in which we entered. [But] to tell you how comfortable we are, our intention — and I’m announcing it to you — is always open stores close to our competition,” a confident Cummings divulged. “We think the synergy works well. We stand up to them toe-to-toe and we want to ensure that when you see those brands, you see our brand in that mix or space.”

He is confident that a combination of good food and competitive prices give Birdshack the edge.

“Our price point is better than the main competitor and our taste profile, what we are hearing from the customer, is that it is far superior,” the Arya Holdings CEO said.

‘The other thing that differentiates our chicken from theirs is that our chicken is not oily. This can be attributed to the fact that we have a very different frying process from the competition so you end up with a really tender, really well-seasoned product without the high oil content,” he added.

They have also won customers over with additions to the original menu rolled out when they first opened.

“Six months into operation we added sandwiches and I have to say that has been growing, gangbuster. We ended last month with it being our number two item purchased, which just speaks to its popularity which continues to grow,” Cummings explained.

This willingness to adapt to customers’ palates continues.

“They absolutely love the wedges but we have had request for fries and we are considering it, mainly because of the children. Our wedges are breaded and it means that it has spices on it and the plain fries would be better for the children,” Cummings said.