President Mohamed Waheed has opened the Maldives’ first Burger King, one of four international restaurant chains in Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA)’s new food court.
Besides Burger King’s there are two restaurants on either side of the departure gates. The new restaurants include ‘casual’ Thai eatery Thai Express, a Australian cafe chain selling mixed drinks and snacks called Coffee Club, and Swensen’s ice creamery, which has already been operating in the airport for several months.
The chains were introduced by the Minor Food Group, a Thai-based subsidiary of the Minor International hospitality and restaurant brands conglomerate that also operates six resort properties in the Maldives, including Anantara, Naladhu and the Per Aquum brands.
The new food court was originally planned as part of the temporary refurbishment of INIA during the construction of a new terminal by Indian infrastructure giant GMR, prior to the government’s controversial eviction of the firm in December 2012. The company recently claimed it is seeking compensation in a Singapore court of US$1.4 billion, an amount four times the size of the Maldives’ state reserves.
The official opening of Burger King and the other restaurants began this morning with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by speeches, ribbon cutting, and the serving of food to the many assembled government dignitaries and school students brought across from Male’ for the event.
A company spokesperson told Minivan News that the reception and performance of the burger chain in its first two days of operation had surpassed expectation, perhaps unsurprising given the anecdotal practice by some Male’ families of bringing McDonalds and KFC takeaway back with them on weekend flights from Colombo. Certainly Burger King was extremely popular with the assembled school students, who steadily worked their way through mountains of whopper burgers.
Minor International Chairman and CEO William Heinecke meanwhile noted that the food court improved the quality of the airport by providing a variety of international food demanded by tourists.
“President Waheed told me earlier that this airport is very special to him because as a student he helped carry the stones to make the runway,” Heinecke said.
President Waheed expressed confidence that food court was a sign the airport was developing into a “world class facility”, “and all this under the leadership of our Maldivian colleagues”.
“This is the first big project since the new management took over the airport,” the president said. “Inshallah soon we shall see major investment such as a new runway, which we are currently seeking financing for.”
The manager of one outlet meanwhile identified “consistency of supply” as a key operational challenge in the Maldives for strict branded outlets, noting that chains such as Burger King in particular had extremely high standards of brand consistency.
Employment culture
Several speakers predicted that the introduction of the Maldives’ first major multinational fast food chain could usher in the concept of part-time employment to the Maldives, particularly for students, and help combat widespread youth unemployment.
Of the food court’s initial 53 employees eight were Maldivians who had been sent to Thailand for training, Heinecke said, stating that one of the company’s goals would be to increase the extent of Maldivian employment, particularly part-time students.
Minor Food Group CEO Paul Kenny observed that the firm had success introducing the concept 20 years ago in Thailand. Part-time work, he said, could contribute greatly to an individual’s development.
President Waheed urged young Maldivians to seek work in the fast food outlets, noting that during his tenure as a student he had worked as a tutor “as my parents could not afford to pay me an allowance.”
He also expressed hope that an outlet would open in Male’, and that the price of burgers would eventually come down (regular value meals were around the US$10-12 mark at time of press).
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Of the food court’s initial 53 employees eight were Maldivians......
Only 8 Maldivians working there, while there are hundreds without a job? What is this...?
Surely the man who brought Burger King to Maldives should rightly deserve the title of
'The Burger King'
All credits to Waheed.
Burger king? You mean Burger Jewish King? Obviously a Jewish plot to destroy dhivehistanis islamic faith. Don't you see how in many countries, when someone mocks Islam, the first thing they set fire to are fast food restaurants, like Burger Jewish King and McJewDonalds?
This is a license to increase obesity even further. As already mentioned, there will be no job opportunities or any other economic benefit to Maldivians from this either. More labourers will be imported to man these joints.
However, the health of Maldivians will deteriorate further. Hypertension, and all sorts of cardiac ailments are the only things that Maldivians will get out of this. Nicely done, Mr Waheed.
"The official opening of Burger King and the other restaurants began this morning with the recitation of the Holy Quran"
LOL. I literally laughed out loud. I don't know what to say.
@Bin Suvadheeb (thumbs up)
Considering that economic benefits to Maldivians are so minute in such food-chain investments, health should be a key factor to be considered by lawmakers, evidently as obesity is on the rise. Five minutes on Majeedi magu or outside primary schools, and you would be shocked how our women and children have lost shape! Calculate it in years to come and you would be scared of health problems to come.
Marrybrown, Dinemore, Lemongrass, Pizza kiosks, T-Jetty food courts and Bangali Jugo joints and gadyas are just a few of the money making machines whose employees are 90% foreign, and the No.1 causes of obesity and other health problems. Parents and kids alike opt for a delivery, sit glued on Tv or play stations.
Maldives has lost its authentic taste in every food including short eats, and no one seems to bother. Dawn cafe, Moonlight Cafe, Petral and the likes, today exist on sign boards but not in Dhivehi tastes that we enjoyed a decade ago.
In economical terms, these food outlets are draining our economy:
* 98% of ingredients are imported
* 90% foreign employees
* 70% indirectly foreign owned
.....dollars are required to sustain these outlets and the profits of course find their way out through hand-carrying or western union.
and if you didn't know, 90% run below FDA food safety and hygiene standards, even an Indian railway station tea boutique is cleaner.
Do we really need to be proud of having such? If our lovely wives, sisters could spend sometime in the kitchen, we could save and have children eating healthy food.
Better encourage investments in institutes where Maldivians can learn something and use the knowledge in earning (engineering, electronics, carpentry, tailoring, agriculture, etc) simply because we are too proud to be waiters serving others unless paid fat service-charge like in resorts.
Of course they will bring in foreign workers duh, do you think Maldivians could keep up in fast pace environment like Burger King ?? Lol!
some of these people who make comments just make comments because they have to make it for the sake of thier cult leader gnashed.
many Maldivian will not have the capacity to work in places like like this due in efficiency and they will first need to get the necessary skills build.
People who claims that they can not find jobs, are drug addicts and those who good and have good technical skills.
If this was done during gnashed regime, people would have applauding about this.
"President Waheed expressed confidence that food court was a sign the airport was developing into a “world class facility”, “and all this under the leadership of our Maldivian colleagues”."
A burger joint has turned it into a "world class facility"? Pathetic! Then the high streets of many a town and village all over the world, must be "world class" facilities! Never mind the leaking roof, or the sinking runway! The esteemed leadership of MACL including the biggest tycoons of the country have managed to open a burger joint.
Get a "world class" toilet in there to start with, then the roof, then the runway, the fuel farm, the generators, the lighting, ...
May Allah save us from these "world class" muppets.
Great News.
Anyone know which side of customs this is?
Do you have to go through customs to get Burger King Burgers.
Ahgh yes, 2 of them, one out side an one inside.
Yum.
http://www.brigatti.co.uk/singapore_blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/burger-king-doubles-bbq-turkey-bacon-burger.jpg
@homosexual. Yes, I laughed too. How appropriate that he should be noted for opening a fast food company to abuse the health of our people. I guess, in the absence of anything note-worthy, even this is an accomplishment! However, being a little bit meaner than you, I couldn't help but think of some things that Waheed and the famous burger have in common. Words like: mush, crap, tasteless, round... Feel free to add this list!
Ramazan Mubarak @Kuribee!
I am sure the many who have commented have commented because they needed to be commented so!
Not because of anything else.
"53 employees, and only 8 are Maldivian" !
"This is a license to increase obesity even further. As already mentioned, there will be no job opportunities or any other economic benefit to Maldivians from this either. More labourers will be imported to man these joints.
However, the health of Maldivians will deteriorate further. Hypertension, and all sorts of cardiac ailments are the only things that Maldivians will get out of this. Nicely done, Mr Waheed." !
"Marrybrown, Dinemore, Lemongrass, Pizza kiosks, T-Jetty food courts and Bangali Jugo joints and gadyas are just a few of the money making machines whose employees are 90% foreign, and the No.1 causes of obesity and other health problems. Parents and kids alike opt for a delivery, sit glued on Tv or play stations." !
Aren't these true? Nay!
You cannot see!
But this, is world class and even you (incognito) will laugh at this!
"I couldn’t help but think of some things that Waheed and the famous burger have in common. Words like: mush, crap, tasteless, round… Feel free to add this list!"
This is too much to bear!
Oh! Allah! Have mercy on us this Ramazan!
Hear the people's wishes and rid us, of this mush, crap, tasteless, round... Feel free to add this list burger!
we have 110 resorts and possibly more resort hotels would be coming in future. we people dont get anything. sun travel shiyam spends money on cocaine abuse while his staffs are underpaid. same goes to villa group of hotels. Kasim spends money on his pimps while staffs are underpaid. the fact is obvious, ordinary maldivians are being held hostage by the powerful. its time ordinary maldivins rise against these fukcing repression.
Bringing heavy cholesterol food like Burger King is really an insult to local food - at least from a French perspective
Bringing Burger King in a sense is a symbolic event. It symbolizes that the Goverment is more keen in promoting junk culture over local culture
Gosh.....your president certainly has a busy and exciting itinerary!!.....we poor starving Indians are sooooo jealous!!
I wonder what he will open next week?
A new KFC perhaps?
Maybe a new Dominos Pizza?
Perhaps a drive thru MacDonald?
Even a Baskin Robbins icecream parlour?
With all these junk food eateries mushrooming in the Maldives.....my description of Maldivians as short and fat people will be proved right.
Do lay off the fried chicken Kuribee.
@kuribee
Were you referring to yourself?
There is no such thing as fast food in the Maldives. If they get a burger out to you in ten minutes ill be surprised.
ha ha ha ...i cant help laughing over this. Whata joke!!
"“President Waheed told me earlier that this airport is very special to him because as a student he helped carry the stones to make the runway,” Heinecke said."
Hi Guys, i think its not a big deal. i belive it is one of the good step towards foreign investment. During my stay in Male, I found Bangladeshi manpower everywhere who are steering foreigners specially women like X rays. The Maldivian youth should comeout and should apply for these Jobs. Im in favor of these investments as they are everywhere. i visited Turkey and Turkish nationals are working everywhere same case with other places. You Maldivians deserve more investment and I pray this place will be a land of oppertunity for all.
Of course bringing fast food chains help the part time job market, but it seems that only the foreign workers are prepared to do the work while maldivians sit back and complain about a lack of jobs.