The restaurant business is notoriously challenging. As Daniel Chin can tell you, building an international brand isn’t easy, but a willingness to acknowledge challenges and strive to overcome them can go a long way.
Jukie Chin, Daniel Chin’s father, successfully transformed Juici Patties from a small, one-man venture into a nationwide franchise, with 66 locations across the island of Jamaica. The chain’s claim to fame is the Jamaican patty, a deliciously seasoned blend of meat and vegetables wrapped in a golden crust.
While Juici Patties continues to grow in Jamaica, Daniel Chin has focused on expanding the company’s presence in the United States. Chin is the CEO of the United States division of Juici Patties, but he has been with the company since childhood.
“Ever since I was roughly 14 years old. I would spend most of my summers at the company working little holiday jobs, in the restaurants, baking patties, working in the production area, the factory,” he says. “So I’ve always been very familiar with the ins and outs of the company since I was a teenager.”
After graduating from university, Chin joined Juici Patties in an official capacity. “I joined the company around 10 years ago, the same year I left university,” he says. “I graduated with a business degree when I was 20 years old with honors. And that same year, I went to work at the family business. I just haven’t left.”
As its popularity has increased in Jamaica, Juici has continued to add more locations. The year 2024 was an eventful one for the company. The U.S. saw five new locations, and in Jamaica, three new Juici Patties franchises launched.
Juici currently has seven Florida locations and two New York locations, and Chin hopes to continue to expand the restaurant outward. But what exactly has made his entrepreneurial journey such a success?
“I’m a strong believer that the first step to solving a problem is admitting that there is a problem,” he says. When he joined the company, Chin immediately started tackling the first problem he saw: customer service. He explains that Jamaican restaurants aren’t known for great customer service, but he was determined to reshape the company’s culture to create a welcoming, uplifting environment.
“It’s mostly taking care of employees and making them feel like the restaurant deserves their best performance,” says Chin. “We treat them well.”
Customer service wasn’t the only challenge Chin fielded. He began to tread the delicate balance between upholding tradition and introducing culinary innovation to the restaurant’s menu.
“Our main items have been there from day one, but we’ve added some things to the menu,” he says. “We try things, see which items are the most popular, and keep those.”
A look through the Juici Patties menu shows that customers can choose from mild beef, spicy beef, vegan spinach, or spicy curry chicken patties. They can add classic Jamaican sides like plantains, coco bread, and banana chips.
Thanks to Chin’s efforts, Juici Patties is off to a strong start in the United States. Like the restaurant itself, Chin’s journey is just beginning — and it’s already an exciting one to watch.