After nearly a decade of operating in the island country, McDonald’s is leaving Jamaica. It seems a little bit odd to me that Mickey D’s couldn’t figure out a way to market themselves successfully in the land where the munchies were born, but I guess one should never underestimate the ability of a big company to completly fuck things up.
The exit will bring closure to a stormy 10 years in Jamaica for the iconic fast-food brand, which, despite having one of the most powerful and easily recognisable names of all American companies, just could not firmly implant itself in the market.
Indeed, McDonald’s, which set up its first branch in the tourist resort of Montego Bay in September 1995, had initial success in the local market, expanding to 11 stores within a few years, and laying out an ambitious plan to further entrench itself in the market.
But the restaurant, which was run by Patricia Isaacs-Green, a native of Guyana who had previously held several executive positions with the American parent company, had arrived in the island years after its main rivals Burger King and KFC, both of which had gained an unshakable foothold in the market by 1995.
So when a raft of American fast-food chains including McDonald’s began their stampede into Jamaica in the 1990s, many market analysts predicted a shakeout – which began to slowly materialise by the turn of the decade.
