Scotchies owner Tony Rerrie has finally got his hands on what he considers one of the best locations in Montego Bay. Within the next two months he expects to be operating his newest jerk centre from the thatch-roofed spot at Fairview Mall that once housed the popular Jerky’s Bar and Grill. Rerrie has leased the building for the next seven years, with an option to renew.
“Everyone knows this place. If someone asked you where would you put a restaurant in Montego Bay, a fast food type thing, this would be the number one spot,” he tells Jamaica Observer’s LetsTravelCaribbean.com during a recent interview inside the under-renovation kitchen and work area.
He has stripped it back to the bare bones, ready to transform it into what he needs to run three businesses from the location.
In addition to Scotchies’ well-known fare, the sprawling building will also house a franchise of Chester’s Fried Chicken, plus Fry Fry — yet another venture Rerrie is eager to get going. For the last seven months, all three businesses have been operating in a 1,800-square-foot space in Annex Plaza.
Rerrie rented a spot in the plaza with the intention of launching Fry Fry where he could offer all things fried — including ice cream. It was an idea he had been mulling over for more than a year. As he prepared to get Fry Fry off the ground, he put in Scotchies just to utilise the rented space. Then during a trip to Kingston in search of equipment for Fry Fry, he stumbled upon Chester’s Fried Chicken: Its owners sell the frying equipment he needed for Fry Fry.
He liked the food so he opened a Chester’s franchise in the space he had initially reserved for Fry Fry. Rerrie moves fast; all of that happened in less than a year. The Chester’s franchise, he said, took only a few weeks to get up and running.
He still has dreams of one day seeing Fry Fry become just as big a deal as Scotchies. For now he will simply add some of its items to the menu at the new location.
As Rerrie puts it, the old Jerky’s spot is “a lot bigger” than the space they had at the plaza. There’s a second floor for administrative use and storage space; and what used to be a Supreme Ventures retail outlet on the ground floor will house the cashier booth. There isn’t a full bar like at some other Scotchies locations, but there will be Maggie’s Q Bar. Patrons can buy a quart of rum, get a cup, a bucket of ice and enjoy their drinks without having to rely on a bartender.
The new Fairview location is the third Scotchies in Montego Bay. There is one in Coral Gardens, and another at Main Street shopping mall in Rose Hall. There is also a Scotchies in Drax Hall, St Ann, and one at the Falmouth Pier that only opens when there is a ship in port.
Rerrie says there are no immediate plans to add others locally, but eventually he wants to branch out to the US.
“More than likely Florida; it’s convenient. But it could be anywhere,” he replies when asked what state he is thinking of for his foray into the US. “We’ve been looking for a long time but it’s gonna come to fruition before long. We’ve been to the States many times and done shows. And the response is amazing; nothing but lines. So we’ve always been thinking of going and opening one somewhere, or more than one, but I think that will happen shortly.”
Looking at his track record, it’s not hard to believe he will do it.
A mechanical engineer by profession, Rerrie started Scotchies in Christmas of 2000 because he couldn’t find decent jerk pork in Montego Bay. He’s originally from Kingston.
“I came down here to build the pipeline from Great River into Montego Bay. And then when that was finished I stayed and did a lot of work with the telephone company,” he explains.
“Scotchies was a hobby. It’s a little more than a hobby now,” he adds with a wry grin
At its peak, Scotchies employed more than 100 people across its locations. With COVID-19 came staff cuts and while things have since improved they are only back up to about 75 employee now. Some have been with him for 19 years, Rerrie said. The key to staff retention, he says, is to “look after them properly”.
Dacia Gifferst agrees. She was a supervisor at Jerky’s for eight years and has been in the same role at Scotchies for the last five months.
“I love it here. Management is good, can reason with, talk to if anything. I’m really happy to be a part of Scotchies,” she says while flashing a huge grin in Rerrie’s direction.
She’s looking forward to moving to the new space, convinced it will be “a better environment for customers”.
Barbara “Big Mama” Palmer agrees. She spent weeks cleaning the space and can’t wait to see Scotchies up and running there.
Rerrie is also eager to go.
“This place is going to be crazy. It used to have a lot of music and stuff. We gonna bring it back and make it better,” he promises.
