Golden Krust facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | 1989 The Bronx, New York City, United States |
| Founders | Lowell Hawthorne and family |
| Headquarters | 3958 Park Avenue, Bronx NY 10457 |
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Number of locations
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120+ |
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Area served
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United States |
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Key people
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Al Novas (President and CEO) |
| Products | Jamaican food, Jamaican patty, Caribbean cuisine, Baked goods, Jerk chicken, Oxtail |
Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery, Inc. is a popular restaurant chain. It serves delicious Caribbean cuisine, especially Jamaican food. You can find tasty items like Jamaican patties and other baked goods there.
The company is owned by the Hawthorne family. Many of its restaurants are franchised. This means individual owners run them. There are over 100 Golden Krust restaurants. They are located in ten U.S. states. These states include New York, New Jersey, and Florida. Most of the restaurants are in New York. It is the biggest local restaurant chain in New York City.
Golden Krust also sells its food products to stores, schools, and even prisons. It is known as a leading Jamaican business in the U.S. The company was even featured on the TV show Undercover Boss in 2016.
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The Story of Golden Krust
The story of Golden Krust began in Saint Andrew, Jamaica. Ephraim Hawthorne owned a bakery there for 50 years. His family recipes are still used today. Ephraim's son, Lowell Hawthorne, brought the family business to the U.S.
In 1989, Lowell opened the first Golden Krust restaurant. It was on Gun Hill Road in the Bronx, New York. To start the restaurant, the Hawthorne family gathered $107,000. They used a Jamaican savings method called "susu." Everyone contributed money each week. This helped them raise funds after banks said no to a loan.
In 2009, Jamaica's ambassador to the U.S. attended the opening of their fifth store. This store was in Atlanta, Georgia. Lowell Hawthorne came to New York in 1981. He studied at Bronx Community College. Then he worked as an accountant for the New York Police Department. Many of Lowell's brothers and sisters worked in the family business. In 2016, eleven Hawthorne family members were involved.
Lowell Hawthorne, the founder, sadly passed away in 2017. He was 57 years old. He was a respected leader. Many people, including former employees and the Prime Minister of Jamaica, were sad about his passing. Lowell had been on the TV show Undercover Boss in 2016.
What's on the Menu?
Golden Krust restaurants serve many delicious Caribbean dishes. You can find Jamaican patties that are mildly spicy or hot. They also have jerk chicken and fish. Other items include dumplings, steamed yams, and curried meat dishes.
Some unique Caribbean foods are also served. These include callaloo (Caribbean greens) and ackee. In 1998, the company made 25 million patties. These flaky, orange-colored patties are made on assembly lines.
The restaurants are popular for take-out food. Patties are easy to carry and eat on the go. Golden Krust also sells its products to supermarkets in 30 states. Their menu includes beef patty, vegetable patty, and spicy beef and cheese patty. You can also try soy patty, oxtail, curried goat, and brown stew chicken. They also offer roti filled with curried meat or vegetables, and "coco" bread.
Serving the Community
Golden Krust restaurants are very popular with the West Indian community. Many of the first Golden Krust franchises were opened by nurses. Often, these restaurants are located near hospitals. This is because many hospital workers have Caribbean heritage.
The main customers come from places like Jamaica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. But now, customers include Americans and people from all backgrounds. Caribbean food is becoming more well-known. This is thanks to people visiting islands like Aruba or Jamaica. It's also because people meet others from these islands at work. By 2009, Golden Krust planned to open 250 more stores. These new stores would be in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean.
How Golden Krust Works
Most Golden Krust restaurants focus on take-out orders. They have limited seating inside. The restaurants are decorated with bright, sunny yellow and orange tiles.
Golden Krust also distributes its products widely. They have a city contract to serve lunches to prison inmates and schoolchildren. The Hawthorne family hopes that the Jamaican patty will become as popular as the Italian pizza slice or the Chinese noodle. The company uses a rising sun logo.
Images for kids
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Golden Krust Logo
