Restaurateur Marico Thomas plans to double his FoodHub workforce by hiring 150 more people.

The new staff will be split among FoodHub’s new location in St George, currently under renovation, their renovated Angle Street, Hamilton location and their new Devonshire drive-through slated to open in about a month.

“We are only about 150 people now, so we are talking about doubling our workforce,” Mr Thomas said.

He wants to increase the percentage of Bermudians he employs.

“We see that Bermudians are out of work and are hurting,” he said. “We did this partially because there was a cry from the Government to give back. We are moving into this eyes and arms open, saying, ‘Come to work. Promotable jobs are here’.”

The hiring process for his new drive-through has been open for only two days and already they have received applications.

“We will be hiring at least 45 people for the drive-through,” Mr Thomas said.

He spoke at the unveiling of the name of the new eatery — Pinky’s Drive-Thru — at 95 Middle Road in Devonshire.

Prospect Primary principal Holly Richardson won an online competition to name the new business. Ms Richardson and her family are longtime neighbours of the Thomas family. She suggested the name because Mr Thomas’s late mother, Clara Thomas, was known as Pinky to her friends and family.

“We have known Marico a good while,” she said.

“It is a heart-warming name for me,” Mr Thomas said. “It creates balance for us because we have a business called Freddy’s. This makes things right between my parents.”

He received more than 1,200 entries in the naming competition, 40 per cent of them something in reference to his parents, who were well known in the community.

Ms Richardson’s prize was an electric bike and vouchers for Bermuda Gas, Pepsi, Dunkley’s and Barritt’s.

Mr Thomas said that the project should have taken a year to get off the ground, but in reality took five years.

“I got distracted by other projects,” he said.

The drive-through is located in a former grocery store. The building has undergone extensive renovations and received new plumbing and new flooring. The parking lot was also dug up and repaved. Sensors were installed underground to alert staff inside that a new customer has driven on to the property.

For the first couple of weeks that Pinky’s is open, it will have a pared-down fast food menu as the staff and customers figure out the process.

“Speed is of the essence,” Mr Thomas said.

This is not Bermuda’s first drive-through, but Mr Thomas said Pinky’s will be different in concept and strategy.

His aim is to have cars move through in two minutes or less, to keep traffic moving. They will be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.