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Ro showed Jinnie around the house and to her en-suite guest room, all the time accompanied by Syd the Maine Coon kitten. Ro said, “I’ll leave you to settle in. When you are ready, come and find us in the kitchen, I’ll have the coffee on.” She scooped up Syd and said to him, “You’ll soon be too big for me to pick up.”
Jinnie quickly unpacked and found the bars of Cadbury’s chocolate, jar of Old English marmalade, pot of Bovril and the giant tub of Bisto gravy granules she had been asked to bring. Jinnie put the Tesco bag containing the British food on what Ro said was called the counter and spotted Syd asleep in his cat bed. Ro picked up the tub of gravy granules and said, “Jed will be so happy, he hates American gravy. Here, the locals have this white sauce they call gravy, we just think it’s weird. The chocolate is for me, I think American chocolate tastes like vomit.”
Jinnie sipped her coffee and said, “Well, at least you’ve found a decent coffee supplier.” Ro smiled and said, “That has been a struggle. We couldn’t get a decent coffee for Aunty JoJo’s locally, so we import it via our Caribbean supplier and many of our staff buy it from us.” “I’ve seen the numbers from our own outlets and there is no denying they are good,” said Jinnie, “but how are we doing with franchises, have we had any takers yet?” “Oh yes,” replied Ro, “we have a number lined up. I think Monica said we are up to nine franchisees who have signed up and a few more who are in negotiations. Our first franchise opens this week and two the week after.” “So how is everything else going?” asked Jinnie. “I’m not really the person to tell you, that’s really down to Monica, but it seems pretty good. We have been taking on more staff. Belinda went home a few days ago saying she could supervise the construction company remotely.”
“Pierre has sorted out the supply business and hired a manager,” continued Ro. “I don’t know much else. But you can ask Monica tonight, she has booked a table for four at DeLukas tonight. She thought that might amuse you. It’s rather a nice Croatian restaurant but most of the food is American.” “I’m interested in trying it,” said Jinnie. “I like it because they do things you get at home and are normally not available in the States,” said Ro. “I never realised that lamb was a rarity on menus here.”
***
The DeLukas was quite nice and the service was good. Jinnie enjoyed her shrimp cocktail, lamb shank and strawberry cheesecake for dessert. It was all very nice but nowhere near the level of the Continental. Jinnie wondered if Clearwater was ready for a high-class restaurant. She had always thought that if they ever opened in the USA it would be in New York or Washington, where there were already Michelin star restaurants. Monica must have read her mind because she said, “This is a decent restaurant and one of the best in the Tampa area, but it’s far below the standard of the Continental and of course the Trattoria Trevi. I have been wondering how the city would react to an upmarket TT SuperBurger restaurant opening here.”
Jinnie chuckled and said, “I think you are a mind reader, I was thinking about the same thing. I am not sure if they are ready yet, but maybe we should think about a trial of one or two Sybaritic outlets. I’m not sure about the new UK model where we share with a sandwich bar, but I notice this place has a brunch menu. They do pancakes, waffles, crêpes, sandwiches and burgers. I think we could easily match that.” “We’ve been in on a Saturday lunchtime,” said Ro, “and it was quite busy. But the only burger on the menu was a cheeseburger. It was good, but I really fancied a Hawaiian burger. I’m sure we just need a chat with SuperBurger.”
“Good idea, Ro,” said Jinnie. “I will be having a chat with Brooke as soon as I’m home. I suspect you might be having a visit from her very soon. From what I understand, now we have got the infrastructure in place for Aunty JoJo’s, it can be piggybacked onto by other divisions of the group.” “I have had this discussion with Rick and Trevor,” said Jed. “I have set up the computer network in the head office, for the branches, the warehouse and the chicken farm, to be expandable. The computer room can easily be expanded, but I don’t think we will need to for a while. There is plenty of capacity for the planned 280 branches in Florida and 160 in Georgia. I don’t think a few hotels and restaurants are a worry.”
“On top of that,” said Monica, “we have a lot of office space and there is the likelihood we can take additional floors. I would suggest we could operate similarly to Caribbean or Potters Bar, where we have shared central services like HR or purchasing. But I also have no objection to providing those services to other divisions while they are still small, we have to have them for ourselves.” “That’s what I like,” said Jinnie, “everyone working for the good of the group.”
***
The following morning, Ro drove Jinnie into the offices at Rivergate House. As they drove over the river bridge towards the office block, Ro pointed the building out to Jinnie. Jinnie said, “Well, it is certainly distinctive, it really stands out and I love this position on the riverside.” “There is a lovely walk along the river and a park at the back of the building. This is a nice place to work,” said Ro, driving into the building’s underground car park and parking her Volvo next to Monica’s Range Rover Discovery.
Ro led the way to the lift and up to the ninth floor. Exiting to the lift lobby, Jinnie looked around and said, “It’s not exactly wonderful, is it.” “It’s the landlords’ demise, as are the toilets,” said Ro, “they aren’t as bad. The landlord is redecorating out here starting next week. He has spent a lot of money on the reception so our visitors will see a reception and a nice lift lobby before entering our offices. You always say, ‘first impressions count’.” Ro opened the office door with her RFID card and Jinnie walked into the office of Bearcat Catering (USA), not really knowing what to expect as she knew that the refurbishment had been done in a hurry, making use of many of the existing partitions.
Jinnie stood and looked around her, before saying, “I approve. This has Wright Refurbishment’s signature all over it. It is bright, light, colourful, airy and with just a hint of luxury. And the views are fabulous. Can you walk all the way around the floor?” “Oh yes,” said Ro, “that’s one of the things I like. Come over here to the executive offices. We have the best views. Monica can see the bridge, the river and the park. I am next to her, and I get less of the bridge and more of the park. That’s the beauty of a cylindrical building, you get nice views wherever you are.”
Ro led Jinnie to one of the few all-glass offices where Monica was at work at her desk. Ro said, “The all-glass offices are new, all the others were existing. Everywhere was freshly painted and the solid parts of the partitions vinyled. It’s new carpeting everywhere and some new lighting. All the furniture is new, but it was bought mostly ‘off the shelf’ so was cheap. The exception was boardroom stuff that was only delivered last week, but it was worth waiting for, it is lovely.”
Jinnie joined Monica while Ro got the coffee on. Monica asked, “What do you think of the offices?” “Nice,” replied Jinnie, “you seem to have made the most of what you have inherited without spending a fortune, and the location is magnificent.” “The only thing that spoils it at the moment,” said Monica, “is the lift lobby, but the landlord says it is being painted next week, the vinyl floor is to be carpeted and the lighting modernised. We negotiated it as part of the deal when we moved in. We have first refusal on floors ten and eleven with the same deal on the lift lobbies.”
“Do you think you will need the extra floors?” asked Jinnie. “Oh yes,” answered Monica, “not right now, we have sufficient space for a while, but by the time we have the full plan for Florida fulfilled we will definitely need another floor. We will need much bigger Accounts, HR and Procurement departments. If we become the group’s US HQ, I think we will need another floor for all the corporate services. We will need Franchising, Legal, Property, Finance, maybe even Construction. Sybaritic will eventually need space, as will Ennios, and from last night’s conversation that sounds likely. I think that we could need even more floors if we are to expand to most states. When you interviewed me for the job you talked about 4,500 branches in the US, I see that as an aim, then to combine the US and Caribbean operations under one roof.”
“Well, you are certainly thinking big,” said Jinnie, “but you only have four outlets at the moment.” “That’s true,” replied Monica, “but we have our first two franchises opening later this week and four more in the next fortnight. We are negotiating leases for two more in-house branches right now, and we are talking to about a dozen prospective franchisees, and that is without doing any advertising.” “I did ask Ro how franchising was going but she didn’t know.” “I’m not surprised,” said Monica, “she is far too busy being my girl Friday and the office manager to know about franchises. I am so lucky to have her and Jed, she has been setting up the office and lets me get on and run the business. She is really good, I don’t know how you could let her go.”
“Well, as you know she is on a three-year contract, and I have promised her a job as my and Alberto’s PA in Potters Bar at the end of the contract,” said Jinnie. “Working for you is a big job, but working as PA to the Group CEO and Chairman is bigger. I hope you remember to start looking for a successor in plenty of time.” “I doubt that she’ll let me forget,” said Monica. “Let’s go and have a look around the office, it’s always good to let people see your face. We have a couple of new employees who started this week, one in Accounts and one in Purchasing. Then Jed has had someone working on our website. We have it up and running, but it is a lift from the Caribbean one, so they have been making it more ‘American’, emphasising use of American chicken and a bit at the bottom of the front page that says, ‘If you would like to join our family as a franchisee click HERE.’”
Jinnie, Monica and Ro headed off around the building clockwise. Jinnie couldn’t stop looking out of the window at the changing view as they walked around. Monica and Ro stopped several times to introduce Jinnie to people, including the newly appointed HR Director and Finance Director, the Head of Accounts and the Head of Purchasing. Jinnie knew she was not going to be able to remember any of the men’s names, only the HR Director because she was the only woman and called Joy. Eventually, they had nearly gone full circle when they came to the computer room and Jed’s office beside it. He saw them progressing around the floor and came out to see them.
Ro said, “Are you going to show Jinnie round the computer room?” Jed replied, “Only if she wants to, it’s only really interesting to geeks like me!” Jinnie said, “I don’t really know what I am looking at, but I would like to see what we have paid for. Nigel is bound to ask me if I was impressed when I next see him, so show me around quickly and teach me the names of a few things I can drop into the conversation.” Jinnie emerged from her quick tour a few minutes later and whispered to Ro, “The only things I remember were an email server and a riser cupboard. I don’t think I can impress Nigel with that.”
Ro got one of the youngsters to pop out to Subway to get lunch, and Jinnie was quite impressed with her turkey salad 12” sub. Midway through lunch, Rick turned up. He refused the offer of getting someone to fetch him a sub, saying he had just flown in from Sint Martin via Miami and had eaten on both flights but could murder a decent coffee. He said he had picked up a car at the airport and had no idea what it was except it was American, automatic and huge. It was in a visitor slot in the underground car park, and Travel had made him a reservation at the Hyatt House Downtown Tampa, wherever that was. Ro, Monica and Jed looked at each other and laughed before Jed explained it was about four blocks down the road, and Travel had booked them there when they first arrived in the city.
His plan was to drive to Miami to look at the prospective Ennios hotel there tomorrow and then drive back. Ro said, “Do you realise Miami is a five-hour drive? That’s 10 hours there and back, you’d be better off flying. Drive to the airport, leave the car there, fly to Miami and get a cab. It’s only an hour on the plane and there are loads of flights.” Jinnie said, “Well, as the boss I’ve decided, we are flying. Ro, can you sort out the tickets?” “No,” said Ro, “but Billie Jean can sort it out. She knows someone at the airport, sorts out all the travel for the office, in fact I wonder if we should make her our in-house travel booker.” Ro wandered over to Billie Jean’s desk and was back a few minutes later, saying, “How does 10:18 out and 17:20 back suit? There is a 16:12 back if you are done early and umpteen later flights if you are longer. It’s American Airways and she’s booking business class, so it’s fully flexible and doesn’t really matter what flight you come back on. Oh, just remember to tip the cabbie at least 20% of the fare, that’s the norm here.”
Rick said, “The day after tomorrow I planned looking at the other two hotels, one is in Clearwater and the other in St Petersburg. I think they are close enough to do them both in a day.” “I think you’re right,” said Monica. “Clearwater is about 35 minutes depending on the time of day and whereabouts exactly in Clearwater, as it’s a bit spread out, and St Petersburg is another 35 minutes south. Easily done in a day, especially if you are taking Jinnie as she is staying with Ro at her home in Clearwater. I plan to take Jinnie to see our in-house Tampa branch of Aunty JoJo’s this afternoon. Are you interested in joining us?” “Yes please,” replied Rick.
***
The viewing party climbed out of Monica’s Discovery and strolled to the Aunty JoJo’s. Before getting there, Jinnie could see it was busy and said so to Monica. She replied, “Yes, it’s doing well considering we haven’t done any advertising. But it could be doing better, I’m used to seeing queues at our Bridgetown branch.” “Don’t get greedy,” said Jinnie, “it’s nice to see it doing so well so early.” “Well, I’m sure it’s the product,” said Monica. “We have done a customer satisfaction survey, and customers seem to prefer us to the competition.”
They walked into the branch and the girl standing at the ‘please wait here to be seated’ desk said, “Hi Miss Marshall, here to check up on us?” “No,” said Monica, “not today, Michelle, I’ve brought the big boss from London to show off the pride of our business. This is Dame Jinnie De Luca, the CEO of the group that owns all the Aunty JoJo’s in the West Indies, Canada, Britain, Ireland and Croatia. And this is Rick Pett, he is the Managing Director of the Hotels Division, he is thinking about opening hotels in Florida. And this is Michelle, the branch deputy manager.” “Gee,” said Michelle, “are you real royalty?” “Not at all,” said Jinnie, “Dame is a title I was awarded for ‘services to the restaurant trade’, it’s like being given a medal, but a very high one.” “Pity,” replied Michelle, “I just love Queen Kate. She is so beautiful and seems so nice and ordinary.” “She is,” said Jinnie, “I have met her several times. But I’ll let you into a secret, she hates being called Kate. If you ever have the chance of meeting her, she is Queen Catherine and will appreciate you calling her that.”
Jinnie looked around the branch and said to Monica, “This is just like being in any Aunty JoJo’s in the Caribbean, Canada or Britain, only it is one of the bigger ones. I would recognise it anywhere, the only difference to home is that the prices are in dollars, and you have three automated ordering stations.” “They haven’t caught on in Barbados,” said Monica, “so when it was suggested putting in three I was sceptical. But they do the bulk of the ordering, people here seem to like automation. They queue at the machines when there is an assistant free at the counter. We’ve got two more machines on order for this branch.”
“How is the breakdown between eating in and takeaway?” asked Jinnie. “It depends on the time of day,” answered Michelle. “We open early, and a lot of people order a take-out breakfast on the way to work, then it switches to more eat-in until the lunch rush. The same happens around 5 p.m., but then the delivery rush starts, and we get a queue of Grubhub drivers. Are you sure you wouldn’t like a table and something to eat?” “No thanks,” said Monica, “we have just eaten lunch.”
As they walked back to the car, Jinnie said, “I’m impressed, it was really busy for a new branch of an unknown chain. And Michelle impressed me, I would have her earmarked for bigger things.” “I have,” said Monica, “I can see her as an area manager when we get a bit bigger, and then if she proves herself, the sky’s the limit.” “If you don’t want her,” said Rick, “I’ll train her in hotel management. She would go down a bomb in any hotel.” “I think you’ve got no chance, Rick,” said Jinnie, “Monica has her future laid out, and I would happily hire her on to the group management course. I pride myself on picking high-flyers, I picked you two.”
***
The following morning, Ro dropped Jinnie at the airport where Rick was waiting for her. They checked in and headed for the American Airlines lounge and a cup of indifferent coffee and a big chocolate chip cookie. Rick said, “The cookie is decent but the coffee is nothing to write home about, I wonder if we will get a customer satisfaction survey.” “I hope so,” replied Jinnie.
The flight was just over an hour and was just long enough for the business class passengers to have a glass of Californian wine and a small bag of cocktail biscuits, which Jinnie said was better than the coffee. Rick and Jinnie had no luggage, so were quickly out of the North Terminal and in the fast-moving queue for a cab. The driver knew the Riviera Hotel on Miami South Beach and chatted all the way, telling them that South Beach was actually a sandbar that ran parallel to the coast.
As they neared the hotel, he said, “As you have no luggage, I guess you are not staying. That’s good because it is not the best hotel on the beach. It used to be good, but the owners have let it run down since old Ma Robinson died. When she ran the place, it was old but immaculate. But since her sons inherited it, it has not been the same. I hear it’s on the market. If someone spends a little bit of money on it, they could have a really good hotel again. It’s a good size, right on the beach, big parking lot and a lovely restaurant. I often used to eat there when the old lady was alive, the food was really good.”
Jinnie paid the cab driver and asked if he would mind waiting, she would pay him waiting time. They had a short appointment with Jack Robinson and then wanted to quickly visit the new Aunty JoJo’s Chicken Shack before heading back to the airport. The driver agreed and parked in the hotel’s lot. Rick handed him a $50 bill and said, “That’s a deposit to prove we will be back.” The hotel was desperately in need of a coat of paint and Jinnie said, “I see what the cabbie means, it has no kerb appeal, but it is actually a nice-looking building. The parking lot is enormous, and the beach is just over the road.”
Rick led them into the reception and up to the desk. The uniformed receptionist said, “Good morning, sir, madam, how can I help you?” “We have an appointment with Mr Robinson,” replied Rick. “Would that be Mr Jack or Mr Theodore?” asked the receptionist. “Mr Jack,” said Rick. “If you would like to take a seat, I’ll let him know you’re here,” said the receptionist. As they waited, Rick said, “First impressions?” “It needs redecorating inside as well as outside, the furniture is solid but old-fashioned. All the carpets and curtains need a refresh. But on the good side, if all the staff are like the receptionist, that’s a huge plus.”
A bellhop appeared and said, “If you would like to follow me, Mr Jack is waiting for you!” They were led through a door labelled ‘Private’, down a corridor that Jinnie noted needed redecorating, new lighting and carpet, and paused at a door bearing a sign saying ‘Mr J Robinson CEO’. He tapped on the door and, when a voice called ‘Enter’, he let them in. Jinnie took an instant dislike to Jack Robinson. He was overweight and never attempted to greet them, simply waving them to sit down.
Eventually, looking up from the document in front of him, Robinson said, “So you want to buy my hotel.” “Maybe,” replied Rick, “we could add it to the Ennios chain if we like what we see when we do a walk round, and we can bring it up to Ennios standard without spending too much.” “I’ve never heard of Ennios,” said Robinson. Jinnie bit her tongue and said, “Well, they are a small chain of five-star luxury hotels. At the moment we are based in Great Britain and the Caribbean and are thinking about expanding into Florida.” Robinson looked at her and said, “And who are you?”
Jinnie said, “I am Dame Jinnie De Luca, I’m a Director of Ennios Hotels and the CEO of the TT SuperBurger (Group) Limited, who are the owners of Ennios Hotels, which is a division of the Group. We have other divisions running dark kitchens, Michelin-star restaurants, nearly 450 fried chicken shops, 300 sandwich shops, 1,000 burger joints, a catering business, an entertainment business that specialises in weddings and Christmas parties, even a vineyard. We have businesses in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Croatia, Canada, France, numerous Caribbean nations and a fledgling fried chicken business in Florida. So, you can see your hotel is a flea bite compared to our other businesses. If I could be bothered to convert our annual turnover into US dollars, it would be well over a billion, and unlike your hotel, we are highly profitable. Now, are you going to show us what you would like us to buy, or are we to look at our other options?”
Robinson looked quite deflated and rose from behind his desk and, asking them to follow him, led them on a tour of the hotel. Some of the bedrooms had been refurbished and Jinnie thought they were quite nicely done, but only about 50 of the 150 rooms were decent. Most of the public rooms needed redecoration and the carpets and curtains were shabby, but the kitchen was quite modern, however, several chefs seemed to have little to do. Robinson was just introducing them to the head chef when he was called to the phone, and Rick took the opportunity to talk to the chef, who explained that restaurant trade had dropped off ever since the brothers had inherited the hotel. They had cut back on maintenance, they had stopped the refurbishment their mother had started, they had ordered the restaurant prices to be increased and quality to be cut.
The chef told him he had lost several of his brigade because of the cutbacks and had not been allowed to replace them. He had just said he would have left himself if it wasn’t for the fact the hotel was up for sale, when Robinson returned to continue the tour. As they walked away, Jinnie whispered to the chef, “Don’t give up, we might be the buyer and if we are, this place will be going upmarket.” Jinnie caught up with the other two, snapping yet more photos on her phone and filling more pages of her notebook.
Thirty-five minutes after arriving, they climbed into the back of the cab and headed for Aunty JoJo’s Chicken Shack. The cabbie said, “This is more like it, this place has only been open a couple of weeks and it is doing a roaring trade. I got a takeout for my lunch the other day and, my, was it good. Much better and cheaper than KFC. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were lines to get in. I hear the man who owns it also has a KFC but wants to open an Aunty JoJo’s in Fort Lauderdale.” “I heard that too,” said Jinnie.
Monica had warned the Aunty JoJo’s manager they would be getting important visitors, and he was waiting for them. The branch was a little smaller than Tampa but even busier. The manager was knowledgeable about his branch but, like Michelle before him, had little idea about the TT SuperBurger Group. As they shook hands before leaving, he nodded towards a lone man sitting in a corner, closely watching everything that was happening. He said, “You see that man, he owns the KFC five blocks down the road. I hear he is taking an Aunty JoJo’s franchise in Fort Lauderdale.” “You hear right,” said Jinnie, “he also has a franchise in Jamaica and says he makes a lot more money from Aunty JoJo’s than from his established KFC.”
On the way back to the airport, the driver kept chatting, asking if they were debt collectors as the rumour was the Riviera was in trouble. Jinnie smiled and said, “No, nothing like that. We represent a big British company who could buy the Riviera but, on the other hand, we might not, it is a bit of a mess. But we own Aunty JoJo’s and just wanted to see how it is doing. I was happy to hear you say you liked the product.” “You mean Aunty JoJo’s is English?” said the cabbie. “I thought it came from somewhere like South Carolina.” Jinnie said, “Actually, no, it was started in Barbados and has branches throughout the Caribbean. But the company that owns the rights is British.”
In the lounge waiting for the flight, Rick said, “Now we are alone, what did you think of the viewings?” “The easy one first,” replied Jinnie, “the Aunty JoJo’s was excellent, I couldn’t have asked for better. The Riviera is a different kettle of fish. It reminds me of Bournemouth, the building looks solid but much of it is in desperate need of a refurb. That useless fat lump of an owner has clearly not spent a penny on it since his mother passed. It will need quite a lot spending on it. However, I see a route forward.” “Really?” said Rick. “I was ready to discount it.”
“Don’t be so hasty,” said Jinnie. “There are 50 bedrooms that can be used today as basic rooms, the kitchen was good, I liked the chef, and he was complaining to me he had lost a number of good staff because of cutbacks and couldn’t maintain standards. The restaurant, lounge and reception need a coat of paint, but that’s quick and cheap. The reception furniture needs replacing, that’s easy. But there are several things that are in its favour, its position, the AC was working well, its huge car park and, above all, its staff. I didn’t speak to anyone today I wouldn’t want to employ, except the owner. Even the bellhop was nice. Sure, it looks shabby from the outside, but a couple of coats of pastel colour like the other hotels on the beach and it will have kerb appeal. I reckon we wouldn’t have to close, we could stay open with those 50 rooms and do the rest up to a high standard, opening in stages.”
“But I’m worried about the costs,” said Rick. “Apart from the bedrooms, I suspect the work is superficial,” said Jinnie. “The chef was itching to upgrade the menu, I think we could fill the restaurant every night as a ‘Continental at the Ennios Miami’. Besides, I have my eye on half that car park for a new super luxury wing, not right now, but when we have established the brand in Florida. I think we need to send our photos and notes to Belinda and get Brian a look at the books.”
***
Syd was waiting for Ro and Jinnie when they arrived home from the airport, and he headed straight to Jinnie, who scooped him up and said, “Hello handsome, I’m sure you have got bigger since I arrived. I’ll tell Larry all about you when I get home, I’m sure he understands every word I say to him, and my twins say he talks to them. Can you talk to people?” Jinnie was sure the word ‘yes’ formed in her brain. “That’s funny,” said Ro, “sometimes I think he understands every word I say.”
“That was an interesting day,” said Jinnie. “Whoever Belinda has got doing the Aunty JoJo’s fit-out work knows their stuff. The finish is excellent, and that Miami branch was busier than Tampa. Oh, I met the man who is taking a franchise in Fort Lauderdale. He has a KFC in Miami and an Aunty JoJo’s in Jamaica. He tells me he has decided to put his franchised KFC up for sale and buy another franchised Aunty JoJo’s or two, they make him more money.”
In Chapter 25 – Wedding Day
© WorthingGooner 2025
