Bankruptcy will permanently shut down HL’s Burger

HL’s Burgers, they are a staple and the burger stands have become institutions at strategic locations on some of Belize City’s more popular streets. But soon Belize’s burger king, our own HL’s, will be no more. That’s because the franchise has gone into receivership after its owner, Howell Longsworth, declared bankruptcy following default of seven million dollars in taxes. Marion Ali reports.

Marion Ali, Reporting
When Belizeans want a fully loaded Belizean burger packed with the trademark HL patty, bacon, cheese, veggies and dressing, our stop is the nearest of eight HL’s outlets across Belize City. But that will soon not be the case. Today, an emotional Howell Longsworth told News Five off-camera that he simply could not afford to pay off any more of the compound interests that had soared over the years on taxes.

Longsworth, who was made Belize’s Ambassador to CARICOM under the last U.D.P. regime, told us that he had approach a past Minister of government who promised to waive the debt when it was just over a hundred thousand dollars a few years ago. Longsworth says he thought the problem was dealt with since it never resurfaced again… until the Income Tax Department under the current government informed him that interests on the debt had been rapidly growing on a daily basis and that the new outstanding figure had skyrocketed to more than seven million dollars. Longsworth said he has sold two properties, including his home, to try to cover the debt. But even so that wasn’t enough and he had to file for bankruptcy.

So now that the matter is out of his hands, it is really just a matter of time before the spots where the burger stands now occupy will be empty. And that is an eventuality that many HL’s customers don’t want to happen.

HL’s Customer #1
“When I went to the States in ’95 and I went to Burger King and I had a Big Mac and I compared it to HL’s I said that’s a small Mac. An HL’s burger is a little bigger than a big Mac, it also has more flavour. I don’t know if its because of the low fat or the low sodium in American food, but I prefer my HL’s burger to what I’ve tasted internationally so it’s going to be missed.”

HL’s Customer #2
“Dis dah mi favourite and ih wah forever be mi favourite. Even when I go dah states, I noh buy burger dah states cause to me ih noh nice. When I come back as I come off ah mi plane I want go dah HL’s go get mi HL’s burger because ah miss mi HL’s Burger.”

Cansita Beeks has been working at HL’s for just over a year. She says she has grown to like her job because it means more to her than making burgers.

Cansita Beeks, Employee, HL’s
“Fi me dah fun cause I like serving people. So I get my fun off ah just doing it. So when yoh sitting down and nobody di come buy dah like yoh feel boring, nothing deh fi do. But when dehn come and dehn start to buy, especially eena dah lee rush, you just feel good just di move and serve dis one and serve dah one. And dis business yoh get fi meet wah lotta different people, mek a lotta different friends and so.”

Marion Ali
“There is a secret about HL’s burger, no other burger in Belize or abroad can’t taste like HL’s burger. What’s the secret?”

Cansita Beeks
“I noh know what dah Mr. HL’s secret. But it has a really difference because I’ve been to the states and dehn noh taste like HL’s Burger. “

But more serious than the taste, the closure of HL’s is going to severely impact the over fifty women employed with the enterprise, some of whom have more than a decade of service with the company and many of whom, like Beeks, are single mothers.

Cansita Beeks
“I know ih wah affect wah lotta wi cause most ah wi dah single parents weh work with HL’s and fi mi dah my daily bread, means ah income and everything fi take care ah my kids. I have two di go dah high school too. So when I hear it I mi feel bad eena wah way fi seh I noh wah have wah job cause my daughter call me and seh ma yoh hear di news? Ih seh HL’s di close down and yoh noh wah got wah job. So I tell ah well I noh know weh I wah do cause dah lot ah we ih wah hambug fi noh have jobs fi tek care ah wi family. I mi feel good cause I dah wah single mother cause my husband dead like three years ago so dah me have to tek care ah my kids and mi grandkids so dis dah my only means of income.”

HL’s Customer #2
“By them closing down HL’s wah cause wah lot ah Belizeans fi lose the best tasting burger weh Belize ever taste. Ih wah put wah lotta single women outta job. So I think dah wah very bad thing. I think weh dehn should ah do dah work with the owner of HL’s along with the receiver and try come up with wah workable plan whereby dehn still could have di enterprise open and serving the Belizean public still have the single mother working and just try si how dehn could come up to wah workable solution.”

HL’s Customer #1
“I hope there’s something that could be worked out, noh in terms of keeping it open, taking on some new ownership or something.”

Cansita Beeks
“Whosoever is giving him a hard time, just try mek ih hold ih business that we could have wah job cause now nobody noh want help yoh out. Without yoh job yoh no have nothing fi tek care ah yoh family.”

Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.

Longsworth opened the first HL’s branch on Freetown Road near Cross Road Hotel about thirty-five years ago. Currently there are eight outlets across the city, some of which also sell fried chicken, wings, tamales, and fresh fruit juices.