Eight months after the Burger King (BK) brand closed its operations in Costa Rica, El Salvador investors confirmed Tuesday June 14th that the franchise will return to national territory.
The brand relaunch was held in the premise located in the Park of La Paz in San Jose, which will start operating starting this June 15th at 10 am.
The company will open two more branches in just 15 days. The second will operate in the Novacentro mall in Guadeloupe, and the third where EPA is located in Tibás.
The brand will now be in the hands of the Central Corporation JV firm, the same partners who brought the coffee chain Juan Valdez to the country and who also manages BK in El Salvador.
Mario Jimenez, general manager of BK Costa Rica, confirmed tonight that the plan of the company is to open a total of 10 stores in the next 12 months. However, there is no data on where the other establishments are located.
The executive revealed that they already have 85 employees working, but the idea is to reach more than 100 throughout the rest of the year. 70% of employees were part of the payroll who worked with BK before they left the country, and the remaining 30% is new.
Before the closure of the Burger King last October the franchise had 29 restaurants and 462 employees.
Jimenez said that the restaurant will offer new products within the menu, but will remain focused on the value added to the grid, including its famous Whopper.
The company resumed operations in Costa Rica not only have a responsibility to relaunch the product in a highly competitive food market, but tidying up the financial dispute that would effect the chain on national soil.
BK concluded its operations in Costa Rica following a series of problems including a lack of liquidity, large accumulated debts of previous owners, miscalculations, lack of payment of costs of use, and the fact that Burger King Corporation (BKC) was at the same time an investor in the joint venture and franchise owner.
In addition, when the brand closed it had a pending payment of more than ¢302 million in tax debts and social security.
Source: www.elfinancierocr.com