MacDonalds: A Caymanian Tradition

By:  Flynn Bush

In the heart of George Town, a smallish to medium-sized restaurant, with about 16 employees, has stood for over fifty years now, enduring and thriving through all the ups and downs of the economy.  All the while, great food was served, customers satisfied, and the restaurant’s reputation grown.

Now officially known as MacDonalds Chicken Delite Ltd, the establishment began its life as MacDonalds Restaurant in 1972 owned by Jim MacDonald.   The restaurant sold burgers, hot dogs & milkshakes.

 It was sold around 1974 to Gary Shaw, the then owner of 19th Hole Golf Club (later renamed Periwinkle and then Deckers). Gary Shaw added the bar to the business. Brothers Leonard & Donald Hew leased the business from Gary Shaw under the name of “Three H Ltd., trading as MacDonalds Restaurant & Bar” and operated the bar & restaurant. They added Fried Chicken to the menu. The property was sold a few times, but the restaurant & bar continued to be leased by the Hew brothers.  In 1999 the property was purchased by family members and the company was renamed “MacDonalds Chicken Delite Ltd.”  The menu expanded to include lunch specials such as Oxtail, Curry Goat, Chicken dinner, Escovitch Chicken and other local favorites.  In June 2002, the bar inside the restaurant was closed and relocated to another building on the property and renamed as “The Office” lounge.

The current Director of the company, Mr. Chris Hew, took time to speak about the company.  When asked what he is most proud of, he replied, “Obviously, to finally purchase the property in 1999 is a major accomplishment which was not possible or reachable in prior years of operation.  The deal was difficult, and negotiations fell apart a few times but, in the end, we had luck, invaluable support from members of the community and assistance from our bank CNB to finally clear all hurdles.  After paying rent for 20+ years we were able to own the property and business that we kept alive all those years.

Looking back over the years and the changes that have taken place, Mr. Hew remarked that, “Moving the bar away from the restaurant was an important strategic move. The atmosphere was previously intimidating for many restaurant customers when the bar operated within the same building. Now the bar (The Office) and the restaurant have separate spaces and are developing their own “personality” without compromising each other’s operations.  A more recent change has been the development of the delivery service through our partnership with Bento. Now the menu is accessible by delivery, during operating hours and on weekends.”

Taking the opportunity to highlight the family business, Mr. Hew said that the aspect he wanted the public to focus on was “The food, the food, the food! We support local farmers by buying local produce and beef to prepare. The ingredients are fresh, and we chose quality products over price. The burgers are made by hand with fresh ground beef, seasoned with local peppers, scallions and other ingredients. Nothing is pre-packaged or pre-seasoned, so we can control the quality of what our customers consume.  Supporting MacDonalds is supporting our country. It is all reinvested back into our local economy!”

So, the next time that you are cruising through downtown and feeling hungry, perhaps you can make a pit stop next to the CIBC First Caribbean Bank.  MacDonalds Chicken Delite, the historic restaurant with the motto, “Good Food, Fast,” has plenty on the menu to fulfill your cravings.