A new branch of the fast-food franchise, ‘Chicken N Burger Delight’, has been opened at Leonora, West Coast Demerara (WCD), Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and is set to provide employment for about 35 people.
The new branch was opened on Saturday and is the second branch of this franchise. The other Chicken N Burger Delight was opened in December 2019, at the Vreed-en-Hoop junction, WCD.
During an interview with members of the media on Saturday, before the food outlet’s opening ceremony, Managing Director, Chetan Puran, said that an investment of about US $400,000 (or GY $83 million) was made.
He also noted that to cover basic operations for the day, 35 workers have been hired. Many of these workers, he later noted, are people who also reside on the West Coast. He pointed out that across the two branches, a total of 70 people are employed.
Cognisant of the development planned for Region Three, the Managing Director underscored that the new outlet would be able to meet market demands while employing residents. He also explained that the community of Leonora was specifically chosen because it is not yet saturated with other fast food outlets.
“When we did our survey here, we know that most of our customers are from the West Coast… And so we brought our testing kit, (which is) the mobile food outlet, to this location and this response was great,” Puran related.
Meanwhile, the Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, who addressed the opening ceremony, acknowledged that the decision to open the outlet in this area was driven by sound market research.
He too spoke of the development carded for Region Three, reminding members of the audience that the region will soon have shore bases to support the burgeoning oil and gas industry and that there will be the Wales Development Authority that will also encompass the gas to power plant.
“By 2024, we should have the plant at Wales which would be able to cater for future demands,” the minister said.
He also affirmed, “…Region Three will see development in all forms.”
And, he welcomed the significant private sector interest in aiding developmental efforts.
To this end, he explained that once businesses invest, the government will work to ensure those investments are successful by creating an enabling environment.
Also providing brief remarks at the opening ceremony were Stewartville/Cornelia Ida Neighborhood Democratic Council (NDC), Jainarine Narine; newly-elected President of the Region Three Chamber of Commerce, Premendra Parsan; and, other members of the Puran family who are also business owners.
