Barbados TODAY has officially confirmed that opposition senator Ryan Walters has ended his professional relationship with Restaurant Associates (Barbados) Ltd, the regional operator of major international fast-food franchises. Walters, a sitting Democratic Labour Party (DLP) representative in Barbados’ Senate, has pushed back strongly against circulating rumors claiming he was dismissed from his post as general manager of the company’s Burger King chain in the country, dismissing the reports as intentionally harmful and malicious. In a statement pushing back on the narrative, the senator stressed that his exit from the role was the result of an amicable, mutual separation between both parties. “It was a voluntary mutual separation. People with a motive would want to interpret that [as a termination]. The malicious people would want to interpret it that way,” Walters said. Background on the regional quick-service restaurant operator shows that Restaurant Associates Limited first took full control of the Burger King franchise in Barbados back in 2013, when it completed a acquisition deal with Williams Industries Inc., which surrendered its license to operate the global fast-food brand in the market. Beyond its Barbados operations, the firm holds franchise rights for a portfolio of popular quick-service brands including Burger King, Popeyes, Little Caesars Pizza and Krispy Kreme across Jamaica and Trinidad as well. A family-owned enterprise with over four decades of industry experience, Restaurant Associates currently operates more than 95 locations across its three Caribbean markets, bringing leading international fast-food concepts to local consumers across the region.