In March 2018, Starbucks Coffee will be available at Sangster International Airport, according to Express Catering. Starbucks’ first entry to the local Jamaican market was its café at Doctor’s Cave Beach in Montego Bay in November 2017. There are plans for three Starbucks to be added to the airport, and Ian Dear, the CEO of Express Catering, expects the additions to make significant contributions to his company’s revenue. According to Dear, Starbucks is “a powerful brand” and will be attractive to customers, which will make it profitable for Express Catering. The airport venues are among 15 Starbucks cafes slated for operation in Jamaica over the coming five-year period. The Hip Strip location of the first Starbucks is operated by Caribbean Coffee Baristas, a joint venture of Dear, who is also CEO of Margaritaville Caribbean Group, a top restaurant management and franchise operator, and Adam Stewart, deputy chairman and CEO of Sandals Resorts International. The Starbucks coffee shops in the airport will be operated by Express Catering, but all other locations are handled by Caribbean Coffee Baristas. Dear expressed optimism about the future of Express Catering after seeing the company’s second quarter performance figures. For the three-month period ending in November 2017, the firm had US$544,623 in net profits, or 13 percent more than the same period a year earlier. Dear said he was “quite pleased” with the performance, adding he anticipated further growth in tourism in the coming year. Express Catering, which operates several branded restaurant outlets under franchise or sub-franchise arrangements, went public in July 2017, raising $490 million. The other outlets include Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, Quiznos, and Nathan’s Hot Dogs at Sangster International Airport.