Mr Breakfast to operate quick service restaurant for FESCO
Published:Thursday | August 26, 2021 | 12:07 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer
Chef Matthew Johnson has made a name for himself as ‘Mr Breakfast’. He is doing what few local chefs have done – focusing on the most important meal of the day and making it available all day, every day. In 2018, he held the last Mr Breakfast pop-up kitchen as he transitioned to a physical space. Now, he is venturing into a partnership with Future Energy Source Company Limited (FESCO) to operate a quick-service restaurant, Mr Breakfast To-Go.
“It was almost a no-brainer, being two truly Jamaican-owned and grown companies, coupled with missions that align, which is increasing customer value and experience. It’s the perfect opportunity to partake in a partnership that will benefit the citizens of the country with tremendous value,” Johnson told The Gleaner.
He added, “Our ‘home’ on Holborn Road is still open, seven days a week. We just recently concluded the celebrations for our third birthday.”
BRAND ESTABLISHED
In a relatively short time, Mr Breakfast has established its brand both online and within Kingston and St Andrew by staying true to its philosophy – ‘Say Goodbye to Boring’. The restaurant is recognised for providing innovative and delicious breakfast and lunch options at competitive prices, and this partnership is in keeping with the vision of quality service and customer satisfaction that both companies are committed to, he said.
Mr Breakfast To-Go will be located at FESCO’s FYC Express Mart, the newest location for the service station on Beechwood Avenue, which is still currently under construction. The quick-service restaurant is to dish out similar menu items like French toast, waffles and pancakes done in his usual creative way, but it will also be the first to have exclusive lunch and dinner options as the brand seeks to have more guests say ‘goodbye to boring’ every hour of the day.
“People can expect great value, great-tasting food and more, without the wait!” the chef exclaimed.
The Beechwood Avenue service station is anticipated to be opened for business in the third quarter of FESCO’s financial year. The launch of the Mr Breakfast To-Go restaurant will coincide with the station’s opening or occur shortly after, he said.
Johnson says while Mr Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Limited is a premier restaurant for breakfast and brunch, it did not focus on catering for parties as many persons would have anticipated, so it was not particularly affected by the pause in the events industry; however, “the pandemic presented a lot of challenges which we still are grateful for, despite the initial downturn in revenues”.
“It presented an opportunity to restructure key areas within the business that has increased efficiency, resulting in long-term gain. As it relates to marketing, we focused heavily on delivery, both internally and via third party food couriers, at the onset of the pandemic, and we saw this area increasing by over 112 per cent,” Johnson said.