Negril Restaurant

What Negril Restaurant does

Negril Restaurant is a family-owned Jamaican restaurant operator founded in 1979 by Jamaican native Earl Chinn and held under the parent entity Negril, Inc. The company operates four locations across the DC Metro Area — Washington DC, Silver Spring (MD), Mitchellville (MD), and Laurel (MD) — serving traditional Jamaican cuisine (jerk chicken, oxtail, curried chicken and goat, Jamaican patties, and related items). Operations are family-managed, with the founder joined by his sister Marguerite and his two sons in day-to-day leadership. The company currently employs 14 staff, indicating a lean operating model that likely relies on family labor across management.

The business operates a multi-channel revenue model. Core dine-in and takeout occur at the four physical locations, supported by a central kitchen in Mitchellville and a food manufacturing facility in Linthicum Heights that supplies both restaurants and packaged goods. Online ordering is enabled through order.online, catering is sold through ezcater with packages priced $180-$810, and the company has extended its reach nationwide by shipping Jamaican patties via DoorDash, FedEx, and Shopify. Digital gift cards are sold through the Toast platform. Menu pricing spans $7.90-$45 across items, positioning Negril as a mid-priced ethnic cuisine offering.

There is no evidence of external investment, no funding rounds, and no disclosed expansion timeline beyond the four established locations. The model is asset-light from a technology perspective, relying on standard restaurant SaaS platforms rather than proprietary systems. Strategic emphasis is on operational expansion into catering and direct-to-consumer e-commerce channels rather than additional brick-and-mortar units or technology differentiation.

Name

Negril Restaurant

Legal name

Negril, Inc.

Website

https://negrileats.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Negril Restaurant is a family-owned Jamaican restaurant chain operating four locations in the DC Metro Area, serving traditional Jamaican cuisine through dine-in, takeout, catering via ezcater, and nationwide patty shipping via DoorDash and Shopify.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile / On-Site Catering (Food Trucks for Events, Pop-Ups) (THAFAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Frozen Ethnic & International Meals (CRADADAE)

Keywords

• Jamaican restaurant chain
• Fast casual dining
• Caribbean catering services
• Authentic ethnic cuisine
• Takeout and delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. In-restaurant and takeout sales: Traditional dine-in and takeout service at 4 physical restaurant locations in the DC Metro Area. Customers order at counter and take food to go or dine in.
2. Online ordering: Online ordering through third-party platforms (order.online) for pickup at any of the 4 locations.
3. Nationwide shipping: Shipment of Jamaican patties (beef, chicken, vegetable, spinach varieties) to customers nationwide via DoorDash/FedEx partnership. Patties sold in 24-count or 48-count boxes.
4. Catering services: Catering packages and a la carte items for events. Packages range from $180 (serves 10) to $810 (serves 50). Delivery available via ezcater with $150 minimum purchase.
5. Gift cards: Digital gift cards redeemable at all Negril locations for in-store transactions only.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Negril Restaurant operates four fast casual Jamaican restaurants in the DC Metro Area (DC, Silver Spring, Mitchellville, and Laurel, MD), serving authentic Jamaican cuisine including jerk chicken, oxtail, curried goat, and signature Jamaican patties. The company extends its reach through nationwide shipping of frozen patties via DoorDash/FedEx, event catering packages, and digital gift cards.

Product overview

Negril Jamaican Eatery is a family-owned fast casual restaurant chain founded in 1979, serving authentic Jamaican cuisine. The company operates four locations in the DC Metro Area (Washington DC, Silver Spring, Mitchellville, and Laurel, MD) and offers a diverse menu centered around traditional Jamaican dishes including Jerk Chicken, Oxtail, Curried Chicken, Curried Goat, various seafood options, and their signature Jamaican patties. The product portfolio consists of dine-in/takeout restaurant services, a catering division offering party trays and packages, nationwide shipping of frozen patties via DoorDash/FedEx, and digital gift cards. The core offering includes full entrees, sandwiches, appetizers (patties), desserts, homemade drinks, and sides, with all locations offering the complete menu.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jamaican Restaurant Menu
• Catering Service
• Nationwide Patty Shipping
• Digital Gift Cards

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DoorDashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDoorDash enables Negril's nationwide shipping of Jamaican patties. Negril patties ship Tuesday and Thursday with next-day shipping. DoorDash partners with FedEx for actual delivery. Patties ship from the central kitchen at 12116 Central Ave, Mitchellville, MD 20721. Available to 48 contiguous US states only.
• FedExminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFedEx handles the actual shipping and delivery of Negril patties as part of the DoorDash logistics partnership for nationwide shipping.
• ezcatercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNegril partners with ezcater to provide catering delivery services. Delivery distance dictates the delivery fee. A $150 minimum purchase is required for delivery orders.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sweetgreen: Fast casual salad chain with regional-to-national expansion trajectory, proprietary menu, and tech-enabled ordering. Comparable to Negril in fast casual positioning and direct-to-consumer digital ordering, though operating in a different cuisine category.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: National fast casual restaurant chain with assembly-line service model and ethnic cuisine focus. Comparable to Negril in fast casual format, counter-service operations, and multi-unit scaling, though Mexican cuisine addresses a much larger mainstream market.
• CAVA: Fast casual Mediterranean restaurant chain with proprietary recipes and counter-service format. Comparable to Negril in fast casual operations, proprietary spice blends, and recent scaling of catering and nationwide distribution.

Regional players

• Honeygrow: East Coast fast casual chain with customizable menu and seasonal offerings. Comparable to Negril in fast casual format, menu customization, and East Coast regional footprint.
• &pizza: DMV-based fast casual pizza chain with counter-service and tech-forward ordering. Comparable to Negril in DC Metro regional focus, fast casual operations, and multi-location expansion in the same geography.
• Tastee Patty: Jamaican patty brand with direct cuisine overlap to Negril's signature patty line. Comparable in product focus (Jamaican patties) and ethnic positioning, though primarily operating in Jamaica and Caribbean markets rather than DC Metro.
• Bubbakoo's Burritos: East Coast fast casual burrito chain with franchised multi-unit operations. Comparable to Negril in fast casual format, East Coast regional presence, and multi-location restaurant operations.

Direct peers

• Pollo Tropical: Caribbean-inspired fast casual chain known for grilled chicken, rice and beans, and tropical flavors. Comparable to Negril in Caribbean cuisine positioning and fast casual service model, though broader menu and larger chain scale.
• Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill: The largest Caribbean/Jamaican fast casual chain in the US, specializing in Jamaican patties, baked goods, and traditional entrees. Directly comparable to Negril in cuisine focus, patty-centric menu, and Eastern US footprint.
• Tropical Smoothie Cafe: Fast casual chain with Caribbean-inspired menu and strong franchise model across the Eastern US. Comparable to Negril in Caribbean flavor profile, fast casual service, and East Coast regional concentration.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/negril-restaurant

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Negril Restaurant