Emerging Brands

This Caribbean comfort food wants to be America's next great hand-held meal

Move over tacos. Juici Patties is bringing a taste of Jamaica to the U.S. as a franchise brand after four decades of growth on the islands.
patties
Traditional patties are beef, but chicken and vegetable options are available. | Photo courtesy of Juici Patties.
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Jukie Chin started selling juicy beef patties, a traditional snack in Jamaica, at age 16. His family operated a grocery store, and he first started selling them there. But, in 1980, he opened his first restaurant, and Juici Patties was born.

It actually opened initially as Juici Beef Patties, because that’s the traditional favorite in Jamaica, said Jukie Chin’s son, Daniel Chin. But the menu has broadened to include chicken, shrimp and vegetables, so the name is now simply Juici Patties. The brand is so popular in Jamaica that frozen patties are sold at the airport, so visitors can take them back home.

After growing the chain to about 65 units in Jamaica, Daniel last year brought the concept to the U.S. as a franchise brand. 

It was good timing to bring the brand to the U.S. Caribbean flavors have been growing in popularity with chefs like Kwame Onwuachi (Dōgon, Tatiana) spotlighting his Afro-Caribbean roots on his menus. 

In fact, Onwuachi opened a Jamaican patty concept at Citi Field in New York City called Patty Palace, and is reportedly planning a second location at a Time Out Market food hall this fall.

That just shows the demand, said Daniel of Juici Patties.

“We did some research before we launched in the United States, and we realized that there’s a huge demand for patties,” he said. “There are many Jamaican restaurants across the U.S., but the U.S. is missing a company that just specializes in patties.”

The Jamaican patty falls in the same camp as an empanada. It’s actually a variation of a British Cornish pasty, brought by British soldiers during the colonial era. But the Jamaican-style pastry is flakier, and the meat is typically spiced with Scotch bonnet peppers, cumin, paprika and turmeric.

Juici Patties

Turmeric gives the crust its yellow glow. | Photo courtesy of Juici Patties.

The first U.S. franchised location opened in Florida last year, and now there are seven open there, and two units have opened in New York City. Daniel said another 50 franchise agreements have been signed, including Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

The menu has evolved for U.S. diners. In Jamaica, sides include fries and plantains, but U.S. fans have embraced the soft, fluffy coco bread. 

In Jamaica, it’s common to see fans put patties inside the coco bread, like a carb-on-carb sandwich, Daniel said.

“Until someone has tried the combo, it’s hard to describe,” he said. “There’s the soft pillowy-ness of the bread, and the flakiness of the patty dough and the juicy meat on the inside. The contrast in texture is very unique, like nothing else out there.”

Guests can also request cheese and/or avocado, he said. The top seller is the spicy beef patty. But, because some Americans are spice averse, here Juici Patties offers a mild beef patty option (though all beef patties would be spicy in Jamaica).

“The Scotch bonnet peppers that we use really makes a huge difference in flavor. So I would say to any Jamaicans who want the true taste of home, to order the spicy beef,” said Daniel.

It makes for an easy hand-held snack, and is affordable, at about $7 for a patty and a drink, he added.

To grow the brand domestically, Juici Patties is using a central kitchen, which is located in Maryland. There, the patties and coco bread are produced and shipped to stores.

The restaurants then need minimal equipment, just a combi oven. And units are typically about 1,200-square feet with only about 10 seats, though the latest to open in the Bronx is in a food court.

The Florida locations haven’t been open a full year yet, but Daniel said the four open the longest were reporting median monthly revenue of about $176,043, as reported in franchise disclosure documents.

The Chin family still operates Juici Patties in Jamaica and Daniel is heading the push into the U.S. He feels the brand could reach up to 3,000 units domestically.

“When I started working at Juici Jamaica in late 2013 (after graduating from university), I saw the potential for this to be a brand in the states,” he said. “Jamaica has a population of less than 3 million people, and there’s 65 units there. But there are not many more places to expand there. It was a natural progression to look at the U.S.”

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