A FOOD business that started with $2,000 worth of fish, one packet of leg quarters, and materials that Terrence McInroy got from a neighbour who had dismantled their fowl pen has transitioned into a growing venture that provides permanent employment for eight people.

This business place is Terrence Delight, located at Public Road, Calcutta Village, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, owned and operated by Terrence McInroy, 38, a local of the village who provides good food and a cosy place for weary travellers and others on a daily basis.

McInroy provides permanent employment for eight people on a two-shift system and utilises 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of chicken a week for wings, fried chicken, barbecue, and jerk chicken. In addition, he makes his own homemade sauces, which come in different flavours.

“I wanted to give my mother one of the best birthday gifts, a surprise. I took her to the US Embassy in the city for her to get a visa to travel for a vacation, but she passed away that same day and never had the chance to use it,” he said.

Thelma McInroy died at 58 years old. She was a roadside provision vendor for many years, and after she passed away, he took over the stand, selling ground provisions.
“It was after my mother passed away I returned home. I didn’t have the heart to go back to the city for work. I was a manager at various KFC outlets in the city for 15 years, and I had to do something for myself to earn,” he said.

McInroy told Pepperpot Magazine that for one year, he held it down at the roadside ground provision stand, and one day, he took a car and went for a drive, unsure of where he was heading. He asked the driver to stop in front of the Courts Store.

He went inside and saw that they had deep fryers. After making some inquiries, he left but returned later to buy two deep fryers and three small freezers, which were part of a combo deal being offered.

McInroy had no clear direction on how he was going to pay for them, but he knew he wanted to do more to earn. After a year of taking credit to sell ground provisions at the roadside from 9 am to 10 pm with a flambeau, he wanted to upgrade.

At that time, fate would have it that his neighbour broke up a fowl pen, and he went over, collected all the good wood, and put it aside.

The idea then came to him to build a small shop to sell fish, chips, and chicken, and he had to change a few transformers before he got it right to save his electrical appliances.

McInroy suffered financially until his fate changed. As a direct result of his kindness and determination, he began by making a few chicken sandwiches and sharing them with neighbours.
They liked them and came back asking for more, telling him to make them to sell, and so his food business started.

A family friend came by, and he told him about his plan to open a shop to sell food. The friend gave him $5,000 to go to the sawmill to buy some damaged wood. When he returned, he needed $10,000 more, which he didn’t have. The cash was loaned to him by a family friend, who then bought and delivered the wood.

The small shop was constructed, and the business was opened on Old Year’s Day after he asked a friend to buy $2,000 worth of banga, getting 15 fish, which he fried and sold with chips. He also took $3,000 from the ground provision sales to buy a packet of chicken leg quarters.

The villagers came out and supported him after he shared 15 chicken sandwiches with his neighbours, who encouraged him to fry chicken to sell alongside the sandwiches.
On the first day of business, he had everything cooking when the transformer went out, forcing him to return customers’ money. At the time, only he and his niece were cooking.
When he finally got a new transformer, his business was reopened, and customers began asking for fried rice, which he cooked on a fireside.

One day, McInroy saw a big fancy bus stop, and a lady asked to use the washroom. She then enquired whether he was selling food and bought five chicken sandwiches before leaving.
At the time, he didn’t have change, so he told her she could go without paying. That same lady returned later, bought 35 chicken sandwiches, and left a huge tip.

“She came back two days later, saying they enjoyed the sandwiches and wanted to help me; they would label the shop. I couldn’t believe it—tears came to my eyes because I was struggling to establish the business, and so many things were going wrong, so I accepted the gesture of goodwill,” he said.

He later learned she was from Banks DIH, and she offered to help him with branded coolers, a fresh coat of paint, and signage for ‘Terrence Delight’ with their Coca-Cola branding in bright red and white.

From then, things took off for him, and his business flourished with the help of family, friends, neighbours, and even strangers.

“One day, a customer came and said, ‘Bossman, you’re bigger than your shop. I could barely fit in here,’ and I said to myself, I have to do better but didn’t have the resources to do it,” he said.
McInroy told Pepperpot Magazine that having his business today is nothing short of a miracle, and good people helped make it happen.

Today, his food business uses 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of chicken per week, and the wings come in eight different flavours, a best-seller among the breakfast and lunch specials daily.
Due to rising commodity prices, he tries to keep his prices affordable while maintaining the same portion sizes. McInroy gives back monthly by providing meals to two school classes, lunch for the church every Saturday, and six food hampers to the less fortunate.

He also gives each of his eight staffers a chicken every week and provides bonuses when the business makes a profit.
“No matter what life brings my way, I will always help others because when I was in need, random people showed up to assist me, and because of that kindness, my business thrived,” he said.
His roadside food shop has been refurbished with additional dining accommodation at the rear of the property, which adjoins his residence. The bright red shop is hard to miss, conveniently located along the public road.

McInroy, the youngest of 11 siblings, was born and raised in Calcutta Village, Mahaicony.
Terrence Delight is open from 5:00 am to midnight, closed on Saturdays, but opens in the evening and operates later on weekends to accommodate late travellers.

“To run a business like this is a lot—it has many trials and tribulations daily, but I always manage to overcome them. Being a staunch Adventist and youth counsellor, I pray constantly for strength and guidance. However, I am thankful for the support from the community and customers that allows me to keep this business open,” he said.