Juici Patties started with one young man selling patties in his grocery store, and it grew to become the top fast-food franchise in Jamaica. Now, the brand is seeing explosive growth once again as it expands across the United States.
Stuart Levy, the company’s Managing Director for the US, leverages cutting-edge tech tools to decide where to establish the next Juici Patties location.
“We look at two things. The mapping software that we use shows us where higher concentrations of Jamaicans, who are our core customer base, reside,” he says. “Then there is the logistics with our distributing partners and where they are capable of delivering to.”
Levy estimates that by the end of 2025, Juici Patties will have expanded its footprint in the U.S. from 15 stores to 19.
However, the company’s lightning-fast expansion isn’t just a numbers game. Levy might seem laser-focused on growth, but like the rest of the Juici Patties executive team, he has a palpable enthusiasm for the brand.
New Juici Patties locations can only succeed in the hands of capable franchisees, and when choosing new franchise owners, they look for that same level of enthusiasm.
“The quality that we look for primarily is passion. They have to share the same passion as all of us on the executive team,” he says. “You know, this is not just about a financial investment. We have declined potential franchisees because they’ve been too business-oriented versus showing a passion and love for Jamaica and the brand.”
“They don’t necessarily have to have knowledge of the brand, but they definitely need that passion about Jamaica and what it means to represent the country on a global scale,” he continues. “That’s the driving force behind being extremely successful, right? You want the best, and not just for yourself. You’re representing a nation and everybody back home who doesn’t have the opportunity.”
Some fast-food companies will accept any franchisee who meets the bare minimum qualifications. Real enthusiasm and reliable financial backing are critically important, but they’re just the beginning.
Before a would-be franchisee can join the Juici Patties family, they must pass through a rigorous screening process.
“Alison oversees interviewing the franchisees in the process. Once she thinks a person is the right fit, she puts them in the funnel for Daniel Chin [CEO of the U.S. branch of Juici Patties],” Levy says. “Daniel then meets with them. And then when it gets to the final stage, all five of us on the executive team meet with the franchisees.”
At some companies, that meeting might be a formality. That’s not the case at Juici Patties.
“We do a video call where we can all meet face to face, ask questions, and determine whether this person is indeed a fit for the company or for the group,” Levy says.
Franchisees’ passion for the brand isn’t the only thing powering Juici Patties’ expansion across the country, but it’s definitely a large part of it.
“One thing that we have noticed, and we continue to ask current franchisees and even potential franchisees when they’re talking to us, is, ‘If you could open another Juici Patties location, would you go for it?’ Almost all of them say yes, they’d open another Juici Patties franchise.”
Levy has found that when franchisees truly care about the Juici Patties brand, they tend to make decisions that help the company grow.
“We trust our franchisees to make decisions that help and not hurt,” he says. Levy points to an example case where a franchise offered a non-Jamaican hot sauce with its patties.
“A typical food service franchise would go in and say, ‘That’s not brand standard.’ But people were asking for it, and it was moving product,” he says. “I think that’s amazing.”
