Burger King and Coffee Club open outlets in Seychelles |21 July 2018

International food and beverage chains, Burger King and Coffee Club, have officially opened their doors to airport users and travellers at the Seychelles International Airport.

Burger King and Coffee Club are owned by Minor Food Seychelles, a subsidiary of Minor International which is a leading operator in premium branded hospitality services, restaurants concepts and lifestyle products.

Both franchises started their operations at the airport in December last year after Minor Food Seychelles was awarded a bid by the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) to develop food and beverage outlets at the passenger terminal and international departure area.                                          

The official opening ceremonies were held on Thursday in the attendance of the chief executive and founder of Minor International William E. Heinecke; chief executive (CEO) of Minor Hotel and chief operational officer of Minor International Dillip Rajakarier; principal secretary of Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine Garry Albert; chairman of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) David Savy and CEO of SCAA Gilbert Faure.

Other notable guests were the honorary consul of Thailand to the Seychelles Joe Chung-Faye, CEO of the Financial Services Agency (FSA) Steve Fanny, CEO of the Seychelles Investment Board (SIB) Cindy Vidot and chairman of the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Oliver Bastienne.

It was Mr Heinecke, PS Albert, Captain Savy and Mr Faure who had the honour of ceremoniously cutting the ribbon to officially open the Coffee Club.

The Coffee Club is Australia’s largest home grown café brand which serves various coffee, tea and assorted beverages as well as bistro food. The outlet is located near the domestic terminal and is accessible to any passer-by at the airport.

The second ribbon-cutting ceremony was held inside the airport’s international departure area where Burger King is located.

Unlike the Coffee Club, the fast-food outlet is only accessible to travellers boarding international flights, and even airport staff using the facility are not allowed to bring the food items outside of the departure lounge.

It was at the Coffee Club that Mr Faure and Mr Heinecke delivered their speech to mark this historic occasion.

Mr Faure stated that the opening of Burger King and Coffee Club at the airport is and marks a major milestone for civil aviation in Seychelles.

“The opening of these facilities comes at a very opportune time since on the fourth of July we celebrated 47 years of civil aviation in Seychelles with the landing of the first BOAC SUPER VC10 jet aircraft in the country which propelled our aviation and tourism industries,” Mr Faure remarked.

He further stated that the opening of the well-known global brands has raised the standards of the Seychelles International Airport, and by consequence has pushed SCAA to also elevate its standards -- especially in regards to food safety -- to satisfy its ever increasing airport customers.

“With the substantial increase in airlines flying in and out of the international airport, it has been essential for SCAA to upgrade and expand the airport terminal so as to cater for the future; and at the same time develop services with renowned international brands.”

On his side, Mr Heinecke said that he is very proud to have opened outlets at the Seychelles International Airport and revealed that the company is hoping to have an all-Seychellois staff working in both outlets in two years’ time.

“All over the world, we try to create local staffing. We also try to source out many supplies as we can from the country we are operating in so we are very hopeful to find local suppliers and help create entrepreneurs here in the Seychelles that will provide us with baked goods, fresh vegetables and so forth,” Mr Heinecke said.

The guests and members of the press had the opportunity to taste some beverages at the Coffee Club and enjoy a burger at the Burger King outlet.

It is hoped that these new facilities will enhance customer experience and meet the expectations, in terms of quality and choice, of the approximately one million passengers passing through the airport on an annual basis.