120 stores and growing: Golden Krust reaches back for students
However, high school seniors in nine states and college students from here to the West Indies need to know his name.
A family-operated business founded by Hawthorne in 1989, Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill is the nation’s largest Caribbean-themed franchise with 120 restaurants in nine states.
On Aug. 5, National Black Business Month's 31Ways31Days encourages visiting Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill locations, as well as the 12 -15,000 African-American owned restaurants across the nation.
Golden Krust has brought food lovers a taste of the Caribbean for over twenty years through the franchises and Jamaican patties being sold in grocery stores throughout the East Coast. This summer, Golden Krust will introduce a new line of Caribbean sauces that Mr. Hawthorne has developed.
The two newest stores are in Miramar, FL at 9921 Miramar Parkway and in Poughkeepsie, NY at 700 Main St.
Hawthorne's greatest success may be his ability to recruit and retain franchise owners. Many successful black cuisine establishments have been limited in their growth to the ability of the founder to manage one or a few establishments. Golden Krust's growth is on the trajectory of more heralded national chains.
Community involvement is one of the values that the company and its franchisors exhibit. In May, students will compete for the Mavis Hawthorne Essay Competition for college scholarships.
In February, Jeffrey Reid, owner of three Golden Krust restaurants in the Bronx officially opened a new homework center at his alma mater Denham Town Primary School in Jamaica which he equipped and furnished in a joint effort with the Jamaica Public Service Company. The project cost approximately J$8 million dollars to complete.
Hawthorne revived the Franchisor Advisory Council this month, picking Stanley Dennis as Chairman of the Franchise Advisory Board. Dennis has been the owner of two continually successful Brooklyn based franchises for over a decade. “Stanley Dennis is the right man to spearhead this arm of Golden Krust – a veteran GK franchisee who shares our core values, he possesses the leadership, integrity and sincerity needed to partner with GK corporate on this initiative,” adds Hawthorne.
Franchisees Keith & Bernadette Clayborne own five Golden Krust restaurants in the South Florida region, out of 17 in the state.
"The Clayborne’s obviously have the midas touch….any Golden Krust restaurant they touch turns to gold. They work hard to provide GK’s gold standard in service, food quality and ambiance to South Florida residents and have done an outstanding job at representing the brand….” says Hawthorne.
“In the face of a difficult global business environment, which has resulted in many companies being forced to cut spending on philanthropic activities, Golden Krust has remained committed to investing in education,” says Hawthorne. He further added that “cutting back on education is equal to ripping hope and opportunity from our nation’s youths which has never been and will never be an option for his franchise chain.”
The Golden Krust lead addressed an audience at the Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene last August as he made presentations to seven college bound students. Each of the awardees was presented with a purse of $2,000 along with a gift basket filled with baked Golden Krust products and school supplies. The 2010 Mavis & Ephraim Hawthorne Golden Krust Foundation Scholarship Awardees included Oladoyin Oladapo of Brooklyn, Otega Esegine of Brooklyn, Shantel Beckford of White Plains, Kristian Aspinall of Rockland, Audrey Morris of Bronx, Shabraj Miller of Bronx and Tatiana Flowers of White Plains, NY.
This marks the fifth year since the nation’s largest Caribbean franchise chain has granted scholarships to aspiring young persons who hail from the communities in which Golden Krust operates. In 2005, the company established the Mavis & Ephraim Hawthorne Golden Krust Scholarship Foundation to carry out its philanthropic mission of putting people before profit. Named in honor of the parents of the founders of Golden Krust, the Foundation since its inception has assisted over 100 students both here in the United States and Jamaica to achieve a firm educational foundation.
In January of this year Golden Krust also pledged $100,000 to the University of the West Indies in Jamaica to cover the cost of tuition for five students for the duration of their tenure at the university. In 2006 the company also established an endowment fund at Bronx Community College to assist needy students at that institution.
