being thrown out by Airport chiefs is to get a second chance, a Minister said yesterday.

Transport Minister Wayne Furbert has asked the Department of Airport Operations to have another look at the application by brothers Adrian and Nick Jones.

The move came after Mr. Furbert dismissed claims by Opposition MPs and Government rebels that he misled the House of Assembly by saying the only applicant in the food and beverage category for the airport was Sir John Swan's Grape Bay Ltd. -- a Bermudian firm designed to bring in US fast food franchise McDonald's.

Mr. Furbert said that after he made his statement to the House he said in a radio interview there had been a submission from another group interested in offering coffee and snacks.

But Mr. Furbert said the Jones' brothers' bid was under another category -- food and beverage kiosks.

He added: "The evaluation committee did not recommend granting a lease at that time. The food and beverage kiosk concession therefore remains open and I have asked the committee to reconsider the earlier application.'' Mr. Furbert said last night the change of heart was because he understood the Jones bid could be expanded to include sandwiches rather than the coffee and pastries in the original plan submitted.

Government got a roasting from Adrian Jones, 26, after the application was knocked back.

Mr. Jones, who owns sports drinks firm Woolf Distribution Ltd., said he was told his bid was rejected because he had no experience selling coffee.

But he pointed out he had been in the soft drinks business for two years and had the backing and experience of brother Nicholas, who has owned Hamilton fitness centre the Olympic Club for 10 years.

And he had also struck an exclusive deal with Rock Island Coffee to use their products in his Bermuda cottage-style outlet at the Airport.

Nicholas Jones said last night he was happy that the bid was being reconsidered.

Coffee concession bid re-opened He said he and his brother had met officials from the Department of Airport Operations this week and they were told the real reasons why they were not granted the concession.

Nicholas Jones said the drawings which accompanied the bid were not done by a professional architect, although they were to scale.

And he added he was told the other reason, which had been kept secret because of commercial confidentiality, was that the food court application had been earmarked for the sole bidder -- Sir John's Grape Bay Ltd.

Nicholas Jones said: "They thought whoever got the food court would be serving coffee as well and a kiosk would suffer as a result of that.

"I know the people who decide these things have a job to do and I'm happy with that. But that is what we should have been told in the first place -- not that we couldn't make coffee.'' RESTAURANT EAT