We all have a favorite restaurant chain, which consistently serves good food, no matter which branch you choose to have your meal. Chains are ideally go-to dining places: they have their menu and dishes down to a science, enforce a strict level of quality control across all branches, with food quality and service reliably satisfying at the minimum.
Nescafe Gold Spot Awards judge Franco of Table for Three, Please, says, "A good chain restaurant is all about what any good restaurant is about. Attentive service, delicious food and value-for-money. The criteria doesn't change. The real challenge for chain restaurants is getting it right no matter which branch a customer decides to go to."
Fellow panelist JJ Yulo adds, "A good chain restaurant should be all about the consistency of their food–you get the same experience in any of their outlets. "
This year, five restaurant chains made the Nescafe Gold Spot Awards shortlist for Best Chain Restaurant. The winner for this category will be determined by the readers through online and mobile votes:
"Cibo", which literally means "food," opened its first branch in 1997 and has expanded with nine branches located at different malls in Manila: there are Cibo outlets at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Glorietta 3, Alabang Town Center, Gateway Mall, Promenade in Greenhills, TriNoma Mall, Greenbelt 5 and two branches can be found at the Powerplant Mall.
Over the years, owner and chef Margarita Fores has kept Cibo as one of the Italian dining destinations in the city with its selection of antipasti, paninis, pizzas, pasta dishes and salads.
Serving Greek and Mediterranean fare, Cyma now has four branches in Manila and a branch in Cebu after the success of their very first branch in the resort island of Boracay which opened in 2005. Co-owned by Chef Robby Goco, Cyma aims to bring authentic Greek flavors to fit the Filipino palate. Cyma's menu is filled with healthy salad choices, a variety of lamb dishes and signature menu hits like the Spinach and Artichoke Fondue, Souvlakia and the Roka Solata.
Kanin Club in Westgate, Alabang, can trace its humble beginnings to its first branch in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Serving three kinds of kanin with an option to go for "eat-all-you-can rice" to go with your favorite Filipino dishes, Kanin Club has become a Filipino food resto favorite with hefty servings and satisfying dishes. Kanin Club opened a branch at the UP-Ayala Technohub, Quezon City in 2009 to cater to patrons in the north.
Chinese comfort food has become synonymous with restaurant chain North Park, which has gone beyond serving Cantonese fare and adjusted the dishes to fit the Pinoy taste. North Park group proprietor Raphael Soon says that they serve nothing less than what his own family would have on their own tables.
The first North Park branch opened in Binondo in 1988 and now has 17 branches in Manila. Shares Rose Lopez, Assistant Marketing Manager of the restaurant chain, "North Park is about good food and good times. It's menu presents uniquely Chinoy comfort food that generations have come to know and love. North Park goes beyond the usual Cantonese cuisine and is better than any contrived theme menu or fusion cuisine. It's simply Chinese food the way Filipinos have come to like and love through the years."
Serving not just pancakes and breakfast fare but comfort food as well, Pancake House was first established in 1970 and has evolved into a favorite casual dining favorite in Manila. With its cozy ambience and a menu that combines breakfast choices with comfort food staples, Pancake House now has close to 70 stores in the country.
Shares Martin Lorenzo, President and CEO of Pancake House, "We take pleasure in delivering the perfect casual dining experience by consistently offering comfort food, serving it well and providing a homey and truly pleasant atmosphere, enticing everyone to make Pancake House their comfort zone."
Which spot is your favorite restaurant chain? Vote now!
Photographs from Ryan Azarcon (for Cibo), cymarestaurants.com, Karla Vanessa Redor (Kanin Club), northpark.com.ph, pancakehouse.com.ph and dj-itsumo.com (Pancake House).
