Mike’s, Home of the Famous Nyamburgers
Today, multinational fast food companies like KFC, Burger King and Popeyes dominate Jamaican society. But before all of these, there was Mike’s, Home of the Famous Nyamburgers. The restaurant, the brainchild of Lester Mike Henry, was one of Jamaica’s most popular fast food establishments in the early 1970’s, and thus helped lay the groundwork of the island’s fast food industry today. The Beginning
Lester Mike Henry, who in most formal settings goes by his middle and surname, was born in Jamaica in 1935. Educated at St. Catherine Elementary School and Beckford & Smith (now St. Jago High), Mike journeyed to England to complete his tertiary education at Ealing Technical College. Getting his professional footing in publishing, he returned to the island in the late 1960’s and set his sights on the fast food industry. At this point in the late 1960’s, there were a number of fast food outlets on the island. There was Tastee Ltd, established in 1966, which carried patties. Then there was Tops, then located at 19-21 Half Way Tree Road, which would introduced many Jamaicans to international branded fast food. In one advert published in The Gleaner in February 5, 1967, the establishment announced their special KFC dinner which included 3 large pieces of Kentucky Fried Chicken, French Fries and Grace Ketchup packets. Also on the menu was KFC Whopper Burger. Notable, this special menu announcement was around the same time that Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC, was visiting the island on a four day trip. However, Mike Henry was looking to disrupt the local fast food industry with something different; a franchise that catered to the local market specifically. A franchise that was distinctly Jamaican. With this vision in mind, Mike’s, Home of the Famous Nyamburger’s, was born. Mike’s, Home of the Famous Nyamburgers
“Mike and his Nyamburgers sure get around” started the advertisement of Mike’s published in The Daily Gleaner on September 04, 1971.The breadwinner of the restaurant chain was its burger, which was affectionally called the ‘ginal’. Alongside the burger came a packet of French fries, a salad and a slice of watermelon. Their special menu was a burger and everything else it came with - a soup, a dessert, and a beverage option of either coffee, tea or a coke. There was also the soda fountain that carried a variety of ice creams and the Mike’s Fruit Melba which the company’s boasted nobody on the island could finished. Mike’s was also known for its Sunday breakfast menu which was dubbed “the Sunday Morning Run Down”. The menu consisted of mackerel and banana, saltfish and ackee and the ginal. They also offered bammy with deep fried king fish and escovitched sauce.Alongside this, all patrons on Sunday received free newspapers. However, Mike Henry did not just want a restaurant, he wanted a franchise. By the end of 1971, Mike’s had two restaurants under his ever-expanding enterprise: one located at the Kingston Arcade and the other at Spanish Court. By the end of the year, a third branch was at The Village. The Village branch was the largest of the three and to garner publicity, the company went on a unique marketing spree to spread the word. Mike’s already had a good public relations with the general public as just the previous year in December 1970, they would sponsor Kingston’s Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. However, for this grand opening, the company increase their adverts in the island’s leading newspapers and offered the following to patrons on opening day:25 lucky persons winning one week’s free lunches50 lucky people winning dinners for 2225 persons wining free Nyamburgers300 lucky people winning free cokes
However, what made Mike’s revolutionary at this time was its 24-hour opening policy. And it is this which would make the franchise very popular with the popular with residents of Kingston and St. Andrew - specifically the young populate of the corporate area. At the turn of the decade, the rise of Reggae and sound system culture led to more street dances throughout the corporate era and coming from these parties, young persons would satisfy their late-night cravings at the Mike’s. With the rise in popularity as one of the most talk about fast food spots in Jamaica in the early 1970’s, the establishment not only garner support from the public but was endorsed by notable businesses, including: Containers Co. Ltd, Benson and Hedges, Grace Foods, Jo Banks Services, Corporate Services Limited, Diversey Jamaica and Fedders Air Conditioners.In 2021, The Lest We Forget team got the opportunity to sit down with Mike Henry where he stated that the plan in 1972 was to further expand the business. This expansion was not only limited to Jamaica but the Caribbean and even European markets. Mike’s, he implied, was on its way to put Jamaican cuisine and entrepreneurship on the global map. Operation Grow
However, 1972 was the year that Michael Manley came to power and soon after, a new government initiative to benefit the nation’s agricultural and manufacturing sector, was announced. The highlight of this initiative was Operation Grow - “Eat What You Grow and Grow What You Eat” - a policy which in recent years has been brought back by the Jamaican government under the theme, 'Eat Jamaican”. In the 1970’s, the main purpose of the initiate was to drive local intervention and the expand the agricultural and manufacturing sector. One of the highlights of this program was food farms which the Mnaley run government would pure investment in to up local food production and provide jobs. Another highlight of the policy was the prohibition of certain foreign made goods into the island. It is with this that the government had the intention for Jamaican business to find local alternatives to foreign made goods. On other Lest We Forget episode, “The History of Jamaica’s Love Affair With Clarks”, we spoke on how because of the Operation Grow policy, Clarks, a foreign made shoes brand, was not allowed to be imported on the island in the 11970’s. Still, that did not stop persons from getting the shoes into the island and they were so good at it, that it initially drove up demand and the further the popularity of the shoe. However, Mike’s was not so lucky. According to Mike Henry, the policy affected his business has local production could not meet his demand as well as the fact that he had difficulty finding local alternatives for many of the restaurants inventory. As such, instead of his grand plans of expansion, he had to downscale. And he would downscale and downscale until ultimately, he had to close the entire franchise. Mike’s Impact
Despite the franchise going out of business by the mid-1970’s, Mike Henry entrepreneurship legacy would do something even more important - exposing the local demand for fast food franchise. Thus by June 1976, the Restaurant of Jamaica was established by the Myers family. Under a license from Hueblein International, the company officially opened the island’s first KFC branch at 170 Old Hope Road in Kingston 6.By the turn of the 1980’s, other local entrepreneurship would seek inspiration from Mike Henry endeavours. In 1980, under the supervision of Jukie Chin, Juici Patties opened their first store May Pen, Clarendon under the name Juici Beef Patties. By 1986, their would be additional Juici location, St Elizabeth, Manchester and St. Catherine. The 1980’s also saw the popular King Burger restaurant rose to prominence. Then in 1984, following the steps of KFC, global brand Burger King made their way to the island where they opened their first brand on Main Street, Ocho Rios.Today, other international fast food giants have set up shop on the island. As of December 2025, there are 42 KFC, 31 Burger King, 18 Dominos, 17 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchens, 14 Pizza Hunts, 11 Little Caesars, 12 Starbucks, 9 Wendys, 8 Chester’s Chicken, 5 Krispy Kreme, 5 Subways and 1 Churches Chicken. As for some of the local franchises present, there are 63 Juici Patties, 25 Tastees, 23 Mother’s, 18 Island Grill, 4 Bird Shack and 4 Chicken & Tings. There’s also’s Falmouth’s Chicken which in recent years have expanded in Western Jamaica. Still what all of these have in common is the marketing and entrepreneurship legacy left by Mike’s Home of the famous Nyamburgers. One local company in particular, Juici Patties, have personified Mike Henry’s dream where they have expanded their franchise internationally with several outlets in the United States. As for Mike Henry, the defunctness of Mike’s is a heartbreak he still carries today but it led to a new opportunities. One of which was the establishing of his now successful publishing house, LMH Publishing. It also led to a career in politics. As Henry told us, due to the initial success of his restaurant, he was approach by Derrick Mahfood to enter politics. By the mid-1970’s, he would joined the JLP and soon after was selected as the party’s candidate for the Central Clarendon seat in the 1976 election. During that campaign, a series of events surrounding Henry took place that completely change Jamaican society. That history - we will explore on the next episode of Lest We Forget. Still, if there anything to take away from this episode, it is that before the foreign fast food juggernauts of KFC, Burger King, Wendy’s, and others dominate the island’s fast food industry, there was the Jamaica’s very own Mike’s Home of the Famous Nyamburger’s.