Juici Patties opens first Treasure Coast location in Port St. Lucie

Jamaican-based patty franchise, Juici Patties has just opened its first store along Florida’s Treasure Coast in Port St. Lucie.

This comes after decades of success in Jamaica and the brand’s expansion into the United States, bringing authentic Jamaican and Caribbean cuisine to the “Sunshine State” Treasure Coast. Last Saturday’s grand opening at 3213 SW Port St Lucie Blvd saw free patty giveaways, golden ticket prizes, merchandise, fresh coconut water served straight from the coconut, live entertainment, and more.

Customers can customise their patties with cheese, bacon, avocado, and other toppings. The restaurant also serves patties on cocoa bread—a buttery, soft Jamaican staple. Beverages include traditional Coca-Cola products, fresh juices, and sorrel—a hibiscus flower drink that’s a Caribbean staple with no added sugar. 

Extraordinary response from residents

The response from Port St. Lucie residents has been nothing short of extraordinary, explains Delroy Josephs, Managing Director of BLC Equity Partners, which oversees restaurant operations for Juici Patties. According to him, it’s overwhelming. It’s amazing, exceeds expectations,” Josephs declares saying, “people were waiting for this thing, and they’ve been waiting, waiting, waiting. As you can see, they just keep rolling in. Daily, we just say, ‘see you tomorrow,’ and they are back. ‘See you tomorrow,’ and they are back.” 

For Joseph, “cocoa bread goes off the chain. I cannot have too much of it,” Josephs laughs. Hot seller, hot, hot, hot. Pretty much everyone walks out with a cocoa bread, cocoa bread and the patty.”

Co-owner of Juici Patties Port St. Lucie, Earl Simpson Jr. has been watching the city’s growth for almost two decades, telling, “I’ve been researching and following Port St. Lucie since 2008-2009, so I’ve seen the rise. I realised there’s a lot of Caribbean up here, and I thought, what would be better than to bring something from home, where they can experience it here while they’re living here?”

Saw an opportunity in Port St. Lucie 

Juici Patties, which started in Jamaica in the 1980s, represents the first Jamaican brand to be exported to the United States. While many businesses flock to Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Simpson and his team saw an opportunity in Port St. Lucie’s overlooked market.

The restaurant’s success feels especially meaningful to Store Manager Randel Turner, who was born and raised in Jamaica and has called Florida home for over a decade. 

According to him, “in Port St. Lucie, there’s a large contingent of Jamaican population, so some people might call it a little Jamaica in Port St. Lucie. They are excited. They came before the store opened and said they wanted it open because they had to drive to West Palm, but now, right in their backyard, they can walk to the location.”

Turner’s journey to Port St. Lucie took him from Jamaica’s tourism industry to Turks and Caicos before settling in Florida nearly a decade ago. Turner, who has been passionate about cooking since age 10, brings his culinary expertise to the menu, which features four main varieties of patties: spicy beef, mild, curry chicken, and spinach.

The authentic flavours set Juici Patties apart from other options. “Inside of our patties, it’s not just beef,” Simpson explains, noting, “We have Scotch bonnet peppers, we have pimentos, we have proprietary seasoning that we’ve put into all of our patties.”