Four years after its launch at the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre, Quick Chick restaurant has expanded with a second location in Grants Pen, St Andrew.

The new outlet on Grants Pen Road, which is designed primarily for drive-thru customers, while also facilitating walk-ins and delivery, opened its doors in late October.

Conley Salmon, chairman and managing director of the entity, told Observer Online that having survived the COVID-19 pandemic with its first outlet located inside the country’s main transport centre in Half-Way-Tree, the aim was to expand to a larger location in an an area with high vehicular traffic.

That search led the operators to the Issa family-owned premises on approximately three-quarter acre of land at 29 Grants Pen Road. It took the team three months after acquiring the property to have it ready for opening, a project that included demolishing the old building that had been sitting on the premises and erecting a new structure to house the restaurant.

“Logistically, it is an artery that has heavy traffic, it is a good location for us,” said Salmon, adding that market research revealed that approximately 15,000 vehicles drive past the location each day.

“We expect good traffic passing and hopefully good traffic for us at the restaurant,” he said.

Salmon also noted that the Quick Chick operators had no hesitation in investing in Grants Pen despite its troubled past, noting that restoration efforts in the area have been highly successful.

Grant’s Pen had earned a reputation as a tough inner-city community which provided shelter to some of the capital’s most hardened criminals. However, since the mid-2000s, through a number of initiatives, including the opening of a police station on Grants Pen Road, authorities have largely been able to sustain peace in the area.

“That determination to change the flavour of the neighbourhood has been very successful,” Salmon said. “It is a lovely neighbourhood and the people are very friendly.”

He said 25 jobs were created with the new restaurant, with a number of employees being from the area.

Quick Chick was launched in a bid to bite into the vibrant quick service market for chicken, which Salmon deems as the favourite dish of Jamaicans. It has chicken meals ranging from $990 for a two-piece combo, including regular wedges and a 12-ounce drink; to $2,780 for a six-piece combo, which includes two rolls, two corn and a 12-ounce drink.

In a market which for decades has been dominated by KFC, Quick Chick aims to differentiate itself and compete effectively with its service.

“We aim to be quick with service. Our tagline is ‘Great taste without the wait!’ That’s what we want,” Salmon said, noting that the average wait time at a Quick Chick restaurant, from cashier to delivery, is 2.5 minutes.

In addressing the outlook for the restaurant, Salmon said the plan is to grow the restaurant initially in the Kingston Metropolitan Area.

“We will definitely be scouting around for more outlets,” he said.