President Mohamed Nasheed attended the official opening of Marrybrown, a halal Malaysian fast food chain and the first international fast food chain to come to the Maldives.
The Marrybrown franchise currently operates in 15 countries worldwide. The restaurant in the Maldives was established by Lily International Private Limited, a leading business venture in the Maldives.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, the president thanked Lily International for its various contributions to Maldivian businesses since the 1980s.
The president also noted that the Maldivian lifestyle is changing to accommodate businesses enterprises such as Marrybrown, and that steps are being taken by the government to facilitate competition in the open market. The president said necessary legal amendments such as tax and state income laws were being made, and hoped more service enterprises would be established in the Maldives.
Marrybrown Chairman Lawrence Liew said the chain caters to a general population. “We have something different for everyone at a reasonable price in a clean environment. Our kids play centre creates a positive family space,” he said.
After a moment of technical difficulties, Marrybrown opened its doors to the president, the press and the public. The President tasted the chain’s first fried chicken burger in the Maldives alongside franchise and government officials, and was given a tour of the facility which includes an air conditioned interior dining and play area and an upper open air veranda.
Families flocked to the restaurant doors for the next few hours, eager to acquire the free fried chicken meals that were being distributed in honor of the occasion. A chipmunk mascot in a signature pair of green overalls welcomed children to the event outside, while groups were let in in stages to avoid crowding.
“The menu for Maldives was specially designed over the last six months by our chefs, and is a combination of Malaysian and Maldivian cuisines,” Co-Founder and Group Management Director Nancy Leiw told Minivan News.
When asked about the health value of the fast food menu, Leiw claimed Marrybrown “delivered all the necessary nutrients.”
“It’s a very balanced diet. Think about a burger. You have your carbohydrates, your protein, the lettuce gives you valuable vitamins and minerals, you have everything you need.”
Burgers are served with tomato and chili sauce packets and soft drinks.
Liew said that the franchise owner is “an ambitious businessman”, and that Marrybrown will be expanding business in the Maldives. “We don’t just serve food, we serve people. We will be providing opportunities in employment, business management, and local development,” she said.
The Marrybrown opening was facilitated by Malaysian staff, who will train Maldivian employees to “pass on our expertise and style of customer service,” said Liew.
The franchise’s nationality bore special connotations for the Maldives. “Malaysia is Muslim, and the Maldives is Muslim. We share a special synergy in Islam,” said Liew. “This synergy will allow us to work together in productive ways to create new opportunities for growth in line with our shared cultural standards.”
Liew noted that Marrybrown is celebrating 30 years of operation this year, and will be holding promotions and fundraising events for local charities and businesses throughout the year.
Marrybrown plans to open several more restaurants in the Maldives in the near future.
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Why is MN not posting any news regarding the Palestine UN Statehood bid? I don’t see you guys putting up any updates of this news despite the fact that this is the most happening news in the world at the moment.
Because it doesn't fit their editorial policy. everyone knows what gets published here. Religion, News of sexual perversions and Foreigners in Maldives tops the list.
Ziyan,
you see. Any story that has the potential for its loyal fans to bash Islam and muslims has top priority when it comes to MN. In the Palestinian state issue, there is more to bash zionism than Islam. Which doesn't really go hand-in-hand with what the government backed Minivanews' wants.
Let us look further for more mistakes made by other countries and replicate them here. Health ailments related to obesity directly related to junk food is the major cause of premature death in rich countries.
Surely we must replicate their eating habits.
Ziyan,
Because this news website right here is clearly here to spread anti-Palestinian hatred / funded by CIA / Zionist Conspiracy-Protocols of THE ELDERS-THE FREEMASONS - ANTI ISLAMIC- SELF HATING MALDIVIANS- MDP - ISRAEL - 100% MUSLIM NATION - THREATENED! - OMG!! WAKE UP SHEEPLE!!
/Done.
World's top environmentalist(aka Mohamed Nasheed) blesses a fast food chain? How environment friendly are these food chain? I see Green Peace joining him soon to bless other international food chains!
This is strategic plan by the government to control the population of Male'. In the long run the so-called environmental champion of a island president will sacrifice millions of chickens and cooking oil to silently kill off a few thousand of Maldivians from high blood pressure and heart diseases. Health ministry will be pleased as more diseases meant more business for them.
Ziyan, Minivan News is not reporing about the local protests going on for two days now at Hulhumale Ferry Terminal. Why would they report on Palestinaian issues?
@peasant
"Health ailments related to obesity directly related to junk food is the major cause of premature death in rich countries."
This was exactly the first thought I had when I read this article. We are openly encouraging future generations to a very unhealthy lifestyle. Fast food should be more appropriately called "junk food". This is a very backward step taken by the government and a very bad example shown by Nasheed!
Alas, there's nothing a few of us (who realise the dangers) can do now. Generations will lose their health to this malaise. It's not only a question of personal life style. Theere is a very direct cost to the state as well to the person for years to come in terms of health and hospital related bills!! Think about that before you gorge on Marrybrowns!
This is very worrying in a place like Male where most people get no exercise at all.
I so wish this didn't happen.
Beginning of the end.
yaamyn,
No, it's because you are retarded!
cheer's
Now, it is done!
“It’s a very balanced diet. Think about a burger. You have your carbohydrates, your protein, the lettuce gives you valuable vitamins and minerals, you have everything you need.”
Hmm - what about the fat from the frying? And the calories? And one letuce leaf is never going to provide us with all the valuable vitamins and minerals we need!
I'm also very concerned about the amount of rubbish that this restaurant is going to produce, in particular the disposable cups for the drinks. What's wrong with reuseable plastic/glass cups? Maldives already has such a terrible problem with rubbish - why can't MarryBrown be at the forefront of doing something positive about this problem rather than adding to it?
wow guys. stfu and rejoice in the fact at least one international food chain is willing to open it's doors on our godforsaken land
These distractions are a necessity. I agree this is a step in the right direction. A large portion of the youth need outlets to vent their boredom. The right amount of awareness regarding associated health risks will ensure that obesity does not become a national issue.
One cannot argue that a large portion of the youth engage in criminal activities, social manipulation, politics and recreational drug use mainly because of the lack of recreational facilities. Sharing a meal may not be such a bad pastime in a relative manner of speaking.
Hey Ziyan,
Feel better now? Fully understand that every now and then we all need a good schizo/paranoid xeno rant...
Miss Piggy
It seems minivan news is not minivan.
Minivan news want make Maldives the second Pompey with the help of Zionists.
Actualy this site is controlled by Zionists. It is a big secret...shhhhhh
"The right amount of awareness regarding associated health risks will ensure that obesity does not become a national issue."
That has so far never worked in any country where fast food chains operate. I seriously doubt that'll work in the Maldives either. People just don't think about what they eat when stuffing themselves with fried chicken and other such delights coming out of these junk food outlets.
I don't quite understand how this foreign "investment" is beneficial to the country at all! It may give employment to a few local people, but the costs of this are far greater to us all. Thanks, but no thanks to Marrybrown for preparing a generation of fat and ugly people!
Not sure if there is anything to celebrate here. Fast food has been one of the biggest causes of health issues in every developed country and we are celebrating the opening of a fast food chain?
48% of the women, 38% of the men and 6% of the children are obese in Maldives. This is a massive step in the wrong direction.
@ Ziyan
Why not you go and do something with the Palestine. I think you're so obsessed with it like our ex-DICKtator GAY-yoom who did use the Palestinian news to keep the Maldivians under his 'spell' when I was in my teens.
And later when I grew up, I came to know GAY-yoom had facilitated Arafat to smuggle shipments after shipments of arms to Palestine via our then flag carrier DC-8s(viz. Maldives Airways). Just exactly mentioned in Wikipedia, I saw most of these flights "...often be seen on the tarmac..." of Hulhule'. Also my brother had a sticker of it on his cupboard but I never heard him talking about seeing any passengers on/off-boarding from them. And their destinations were UNKNOWN to anyone.
Much later I came to know about Arafat's secret bank accounts with millions of dollars. Also of about a notorious Saudi gun gunner frequently visiting the Maldives in his own yacht. This guy is now in jail.
So stop talking about Palestinians or Islamic brothers when someone's trying to enjoy a good meal. I'm a Muslim like you - but with a difference. Am not an ignorant Muslim with a peanut brain and with a bit of rationalization. That keeps me out of religious fanatics and extremists (both of which are psychos, naturally).
🙂
The maldives does not need this.
They have enough problems already.
Who needs international fast food when you can get a heart attack from all the gross fried food at one of the thousands of local hedhikaa shops?
The Americans are going to veto and will never allow a Palestinian state in another 50 years unless the corrupt Arab leaders are willing to take a stand. President Nasheed cannot do anything. Gayoom and his cronies can dance all around Maldives and nothing is going to happen to the Palestinian people. Enjoy your meal.
I was in Colombo few days ago and visited a local McDonalds. I saw more Maldivians than locals. It is time we have something clean, safe and tasty.
Remember a guy called Gayoom who ran our country as a dictator for 30 years. He would have never thought something like this because he use to airlift Pizza and McDonalds from Singapore.
Welcome Marrybrown. Male was lacking a good 'Burger Joint' which now we have. There is no harm in eating burger once a while. Moreover, we Maldivians walk a lot so I am sure we would be able to digest it quite well. Besides, 50% of our tourists (other 50% from China) come from burger eating countries so Marrybrown is welcomed atleast for tourism sake.
@Ziyan
Pl feel free to go to Palestine or Tora Bora or Pakistan whatever U like. Just go, leave.
never heard of this international fast food chain before, and to think I was all over Malaysia.
Hala, every fast food chain is halal from MacDonald's KFC BigMac Subway to blah blah has a halal sign.
This is an investment for Marry Brown and Lily Group but a destruction to the entire nation.
Having international fast food chains and so called "burger joints" is not a criteria to call ourselves developing or developing. In fact, its a regression because we end up loosing our health.
It's a known fact that fast food leads to overweight and obesity and finally to heart disease, diabetes, etc.
You call this "clean, safe and tasty"?I call this a killer
And I believe Marry Brown is going to put some SMEs in food business out of business soon... So welcome MDP government for your interest assisting the growth of SMEs.
The president of a small banana republic attend the opening of a burger joint and it becomes front page news. Is this deemed progress in the Maldives? Anything to take your mind off global warming I guess!!
Halal meat is cruelly slaughtered and must be avoided by all who are against cruelty to animals.
we're all so quick to blame fast food here. but i think what's really at fault is our crazily inactive lifestyles.
i'm maldivian. i'm from the same gene pool as all of you.
i eat fast food more or less every day. even when i'm not eating fast food, my caloric intake is always upwards of 3000 calories a day.
and yet i weigh in at a decidedly skinny 60kg because every day, i make the effort to get off my keester and run off every calorie i've taken in that i don't need.
maybe if we all stopped being keyboard warriors and gtfo our butts and DID something about obesity etc. the problem would go away.
in fact, that's a good way to clean up a helluva lot of problems in our dear country. stfu, stop complaining about every damned thing, and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT instead.
Hm, fast food's good news for me. I need a high-carb diet because ...
Well, being a global businessman takes a lot outta ya. :/
B,
Technically speaking, due to the small percentage of obese cases it is safe to completely rule out obesity as a primary disorder found in Maldives.
G'day
(Go, bonkers people!)
Eat,live and laugh.
all "hanaavaa rayyithun" qued outside Marrybrown ....
Let people decide by voting with their stomachs. Democracy in action.
"Moreover, we Maldivians walk a lot so I am sure we would be able to digest it quite well"
Oh yeah? That's news! Is that why in a place less than 2 square miles, there's so much god damned traffic that you choke to death whilst trying to do your walk?
If you're trying to burn all the calories from stuffing yourself with Marrybrowns, you're going to get dizzy running around these 2 square miles, since you need a lot of rounds to burn it off every day.
Marrybrown, proudly feeding the next generation of fat and ugly Maldivians...
@Ahmed bin Addu bin Suvadheeb (Ababs)
What "burgers" have to do with traffic? Anyway, let me assure U, a burger once in a while is quite harmless - in fact a welcome change from our regular meals. Besides, Marrybrown will soon become "meeting point" for youngesters.
Almost every 'cafe' and restaurant in male' offer burgers and french fries with soda... what's the problem with this new place?
Regarding the obesity problem, have a look at the people in the streets, some are already overweight (and most worrying, I noticed more and more 'fat kids'). This is not due to the fast food place that just opened few days ago! So, let's try to solve this issue by raising awareness of people, but burgers are not the only ones to blame!!!