What The Staff Meal Really Means for Three of Manila's Best Restaurants

The folks at Hapag (and its sibling lounge and restaurant Ayà) make it a point to use the term “family meals,” the other term for staff meals which is more consistent with the restaurant’s name and core. The word hapag connotes a family table after all, and the chefs live this out in the way they they make sure their staff comprised of more than 60 eat well.

“Non-negotiable para sa’min ‘yung family meals,” says Hapag Executive Chef and Co-Founder Kevin “Nav” Navoa. “We have to make sure everyone's well-fed… the main reason why the restaurant’s called Hapag is because sa [house namin], ‘pag kakain ng lunch or dinner, anytime nasa bahay ka para sa lunch or dinner, you have to sit at the table, regardless if you are hungry or ayaw mong kumain.” 

And indeed mealtime at Hapag takes on a sort of “household energy,” according to Sous Chef Joyo Panganiban. Most of us know the drill—when it's time for family meal, each member of the household is expected to drop what they're doing, wash their hands, and come to the table.

The Hapag family meals go way back to their days doing private dining in their original address in Katipunan, shortly before they opened to the public in 2019. They’ve continued the tradition ever since, and it even helped them get through the pandemic: one might recall how, for some months during that period, they extended the Hapag Family Meals from an internal program to a small food business the public could order from for delivery. “Na-save ‘yung restaurant noong pandemic,” Nav shares. “It saved us from going bankrupt [at the time]. The family meals were able to sustain the [staff] salaries, and ‘yung… operational cost. We didn't make any money, pero at least naitawid naman [yung business] because of family meals.”

It was in 2024 when Hapag made the big move to their current home in Rockwell—a much bigger space than their QC digs, with warm but hushed lighting during dinner service and a much brighter vibe in the daytime, when natural light enters through the glass windows and fills the space from floor to ceiling. New location aside, they've made sure to bring the family meal with them.

They weren’t supposed to be open for lunch the Wednesday afternoon of our visit (PSA, though, that Hapag does lunch from Thursdays to Sundays), but the place is no less alive with people in the kitchen immersed in their tasks, with some bobbing their heads to Eraserhead’s "Ligaya" playing in the background. It doesn't take long before the team is called to partake of the day’s spread, served family-style: sticks of Pinoy BBQ, glossy from the sweet-savory glaze; pancit, with a well-balanced ratio of Canton noodles to meat to veg; lumpia still hot from the fryer; the indispensable fried rice; and a sweet, cooling fruit shake we ladled onto tupperwares that served as cups. It feels like we're crashing a birthday party, and a very Pinoy one at that, where—despite it being our first time meeting all of the staff—we are welcomed with chants of, “O, kain!”

“Some [members] of the staff talaga look forward to this family meal,” Executive Chef and Co-Founder Thirdy Dolatre tells us. “So ‘yun, as much as possible, we try to make it very hearty and masarap… naniniwala rin ako na for you to cook nice, you have to eat nice.”

With more than 60 people on the team, doing family meal preparations is no easy task. “Parang feeding program na 'to,” Chef Nav jokes. “It's a team of [60-plus] every single day… so talagang kailangan na ng pag-plan.” Assignments for family meal shifts are released every two weeks and there are three people per shift, generally consisting of two chefs and one member of the front of house team. 

Having to work with others instills a spirit of collaboration. “I remember last night, we were doing the lumpiang Shanghai and everyone [was like,] ‘Tara, magbalot tayo,’” Joyo shares. “And then habang nagbabalot lahat, everyone was talking and nagkakamustahan. May ganoong culture na nabi-build, na parang tulungan with the family meal and all.”

No one is exempt from getting their own family meal shift, shares Restaurant Manager Angel Catalan. “Lahat po kami [nagluluto]... Even the dishwashers. Lahat.” This gives those from other teams insight about kitchen operations, Nav explains. “They [get to] understand how hard it is, and respect the whole culture of cooking for one another.” Now even the non-chefs would make it a point to study cooking on their own to prepare for their turn.

Prepping with the kitchen team becomes very educational for the non-kitchen people. “Mas natututo ako kapag kasama ko ‘yung mga chefs,” says Dianne Guardose, one of Hapag's servers. The setup also gives everyone a chance to practice leadership. “We try to teach the teams na you are managing your own staff. Parang practice.” That way, members experience firsthand the challenges they may encounter should they land a managerial position in the future.

As for the spread itself, as much as possible, they make it a point to keep it balanced: there's starch, protein, and vegetables. The main proteins—chicken, pork, beef, or fish—take turns on the menu, but the staff does a vegetarian meal on occasion. One time, the chefs even challenged the team to cook recipes from Angelo Comsti’s Only Filipino cookbook. “So lumalawak rin yung knowledge nila on Filipino cuisine,” says Thirdy.

Hapag has made it a point to share the love of family meals with outsiders—e.g., foreign chefs or chefs from out of town visiting for collaboration dinners. They treated the Roots Siargao team to a boodle fight, for example, and made sure to get Melbourne’s Serai folks to try good ol’ Jollibee fast food.

From time to time, the preps spark some friendly compeition. Says chef de Partie Ralph Rondain: “Kung sino ‘yung assigned the next day, they're gonna be like, ‘Bukas 'wag kayong kakain ng breakfast kasi mas masarap ‘yung meal [namin].’ It's always like that… it's just a lot of fun and really good memories with just the family.”

At Toyo Eatery, the formats and other specifics of the staff meal have evolved over the years to match the growing team. Today, the 50-plus members of the Toyo-verse—which include the teams of the one-Michelin starred, repeat Asia's 50 Best-lister Toyo Eatery and its siblings Inato (also a one Michelin star holder) and Azukitoyo—collectively form Barangay Toyo, whose team culture is so solid they hold elections for “barangay council” twice a year.

The group dynamic powers the staff meals, which they hold twice a day—one at lunchtime, held simultaneously with their daily town hall meeting; and later at 5 p.m., which is shortly before dinner service begins. Five people a week are assigned to staff meal preparations—three from the kitchen team, two from front of house. Assignments are announced around two to three weeks in advance, says Toyo Communications Head Miguel Ortega.

“Ever since, we’ve tried to make staff meals like a community thing… Parang informal bonding outside of [restaurant work],” says Head Chef Patch Marce. As far as the cuisine or genre of meals go, the team is given free rein, but using what’s on hand is highly encouraged to minimize food waste. “But generally like, cook whatever you want,” she says.

Those on the day shift will generally arrive at around 11 a.m. to start preparations. By around 12:30, it’s time to eat. On staff meal duty the day of our visit was Inato cook Ronnie Perez, who emerged from the kitchen with trays of food in hand and ready to bolster the Barangay. 

On the table was a mini-fiesta—raw tuna trimmings, served in the style of sushi; spinach noodles from the chefs of Mi Xun Tea House (with whom they’d done a collaboration dinner in February); a stir-fry of shrimp and dorado fish; freshly fried fish cakes using what's left of the fish sisig from the day before; a tray of biko; and golden-brown discs of maruya.

Holding their plates, members of the Barangay find their spots around the different parts of the restaurant dining area as the staff meeting goes on. It’s also at this time that the team gets to share stories and experiences from recent shifts, which give them insight on how to improve or move forward. Announcements are usually made at this time, too. “Because [Toyo Eatery, Inato, and Azukitoyo] open at different hours with different shifts, this is the only time that all three teams can align,” says Patch.

As far as what people typically prepare, Filipino home-cooked fare features heavily, and it’s common for team members to serve food from their respective hometown. There are recurring favorites—the sisig of Chef Grenwin Mendoza, for one. “Si Gren is legendary. Isa siya sa mga sinauna na sa sobrang sarap ng sisig niya, it became, ‘Oh, ‘yung sisig ni Gren,’” Miguel shares. It had, in fact, become common practice to associate standout dishes with the members of the staff behind them—pares ni Kate, adobo ni Shane, and so on. Front-of-house team member Genesis de Leon, meanwhile, has become known for his Bicol express. 

In their years of doing staff meals, they've developed their share of small rituals. Like team members sharing pasalubong from trips out of town or from abroad, or things they’ve made at home. “It may be something na niluto mo or dinala mo or binili mo or binigay sayo na gustong i-share, but it's really more about enjoying it together,” says Patch.

Occasionally, the team would do away with utensils and go for good ol’ kamayan, with viands laid out on banana leaves. “Tapos 'pag may dumadaan-daan kang tao o guests ng ibang mga building, tinatry na rin namin yayain,” says Grenwin. Patch recalls the time they would even hold their staff meals al-fresco, which means cozily enjoying lunch along Karrivin Alley's covered hallway.

Once a year, the team does what they call Staff Meal Wars. The last run in September was done in the style of their Papi Jepe pop-ups; the Barangay was split into teams and asked to prepare staff meals for selling, then the teams try to outdo each other in sales. Some years they would assign themes; one time they picked horror and turned Toyo into a haunted house. The event doubled as a kind of fundraiser for the Barangay, the fruits of which got the team a field day at Enchanted Kingdom.

A “happy bunch” is how Sous Chef Gab Clemente describes the 26-strong Los Tacos team. “Everyone likes to laugh kasi at the end of the day, kami-kami lang din ‘yung magkakasama every day." They do what they can to make workplace feel like home—like sitting down to freshly prepared meals with the rest of the staff. "Might as well make it fun because working in a kitchen is hard. I feel like each and every one here, they have their own way to lighten up the load of daily tasks.”

At this taqueria (awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand honor in 2025), staff meals take place in between lunch and dinner service. The front of house takes the last lunch orders at 2:30 p.m., after which staff meal preparations commence alongside prep for dinner service. Assignments rotate daily between kitchen stations (cold station, hot apps, grill). Staff meal duties are sometimes assigned to the front of house team as well, which gives the latter a chance to make and share team members' favorite dishes.

Those on staff meal duty have until 3:30 p.m. to complete the day’s spread. Laid out on the counter the day we went were ginisang monggo and fried galunggong; golden-brown chunks of liempo; battered calamares; and rice. Members of the staff flock to the spread holding their bowls, soon settling into one of the spots on a makeshift long table at the center, and then laughing, joking, and trading stories in between spoonfuls of the day's lunch treats.

There’s no limitation to what the staff cooks, chef-owner and “Head Honcho” Pat Curitana tells us; so long as it fits the budget, and it’s served with the intention of sharing. They’re allowed to play around with what to make for the day, and that mostly has team members tuning into their own cravings for inspiration. Lutong bahay, Gab explains, is always in high demand—which, when you're always working from a menu that's inspired by an entirely different culture, sounds like something any Pinoy would go for. (And really, is there anything more comforting than a home-cooked meal?)

Still, different cuisines and genres have been explored—Western, Asian, even Korean. “Minsan ginagawa din siyang parang R&D,” says Team Leader Mai de Vigil, meaning what's made for the staff could easily in the future translate, in some form or other, to a dish on the Los Tacos menu.

There have been many memorable meals along the way. Martina Ordoñez, one of the line cooks, recalls the time she made Hainanese chicken—rice and sauces included. Fellow line cook Gino Unas remembers the time they did a menu inspired by a classic English breakfast. “It was fun because we were all helping to make it. The bacon was house-made. And [even] the English muffins.” 

Another time, a member of the team celebrated their birthday with an old-fashioned kiddie party spread: hotdogs with marshmallows, barbecue, pansit, a from Red Ribbon. Gab shares how Chef Pat once made tacos with a filling of fried intestines—it was such a hit they made it available to diners, as an off-menu special for the night. 

That the team often goes the extra mile to prepare good food has led to the not entirely unexpected side effect of weight gain among members of the team. “Lahat ng pumasok dito, tumaba,” Mai says, chuckling. “Hindi ka talaga papayat, kahit mag-diet ka, kahit [seryoso ka sa] fitness.”

Nathan Dellera, a server and cashier at the taqueria, admits to having filled out with how good the food is. He was much lighter when he started working here, he says with a laugh. “Pero ang sasarap palagi nung luto dito. Palaging masaya.”

Chef Pat, despite his lean figure, is no stranger to consuming more than he could handle. He laughs as he recalls the time when a member of the team prepared a whole kebab spread—with grilled tomatoes, onions, long-grain rice, and a killer toum sauce. “I had three rounds of that. I mean, medyo nag-regret ako. I was so full. ‘Di ako makagalaw pero ang sarap niya.”

It’s especially important to power up before or after shifts, given the fast-paced nature of the work. “[Staff meal] ‘yung magbibigay ng energy for the day,” says Los Tacos’ Gab Clemente. "Kailangan mo ng push, plus points din 'pag sobrang sarap kasi parang gaganahan ka magtrabaho. We might as well make it filling for everyone… kailangan busog.” But the act of sitting down together and sharing a meal benefits the team in more ways than just getting their tummies full.

Hapag’s Angel Catalan observes, “‘Yung mood din namin is [affected by] it. Kung sobrang sarap nung family meal, parang mas energized kami mag-work.” In the words of Los Tacos’ Nathaniel Galupas, “Mas maganda magtrabaho ‘pag maganda yung kain.”

Other businesses would find the idea of taking on the staff meal for 60-plus people daily as not exactly good for the bottomline. And yes Hapag's Chef Kevin knows this, but just chuckles at the thought. "Thankfully, our partners let us do it. Kasi it changes a lot for a lot of people.”

Clearly, the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Being together is what makes the experience of staff meals more magical, says Toyo Pastry Chef Sam Constantino. “I think more than the food, ‘yung pagsasalo-salo ng mga tao is what makes the meal special. It's our only time para magkakasama kami.”

“I feel like sometimes, with how everything's so busy, nakakaligtaan na namin na mag-kamustahan with everyone and see where everyone's at,” Hapag’s Joyo Panganiban adds. “Family meal is a great time for everyone na makapag-usap.”

It’s also one of the rarer chances to meet and get to know the newcomers, as well as those from other teams—team mates they don’t get to work with as much otherwise.

Preparing staff meals gives the team a chance to express themselves artistically. “It's an opportunity for people to be creative [and] share a part of themselves,” says Toyo’s Miguel Ortega.

“Mas nakikilala namin ‘yung isa't isa na, ‘Ah, ito pala siya. Magaling pala siya sa family meal,’" Hapag’s Angel Catalan shares. It can also be an avenue for experimentation, as pointed out by Hapag’s Joyo Panganiban. “I think kung may gusto kang eksperimentehen na gawin, maybe you can do it in the family meal.”

And in the case of Toyo’s team, many of whose members hail from different parts of the country, the staff meal is a chance to share something from the culture they came from. “Karamihan po dito is galing sa iba't ibong probinsya… [so] parang the food we cook, merong personal touch from our provinces,” says Genesis de Leon. “We have our own ways of cooking sa iba't ibang klase na ulam. For example, I'm from Bicol, they're from Pampanga. Parang 'yun yung way din namin na i-share kung paano magluto or ano yung nakakakain namin sa bahay.”

“So kami, parang nalalaman din namin ‘yung nakasanayan o history nila sa [pinanggalingan nila], when it comes to food,” Tupe Lopez adds.

Hapag’s Jaren de Lunas waxes nostalgic about her first family meal at the restaurant. She admits to not remembering the food served, but what's fresh on her mind to this day is how that first meal made her feel. Despite her being a newbie at the time, she was immediately welcomed as part of the team. “Kinamusta nila ako… [saka] binigyan nila akong mga tips kung paano ‘yung gagawin ko sa service later. Na-feel ko agad na parang pamilya na agad nila ako,” she shares.

This in turn motivated her further to pass all the hiring checks and get into Hapag—and it continues to be one of the core things she loves about working at the restaurant. “Kasi parang dito, aalagaan ka. Dito, may care ‘yung mga ka-work mo sa’yo... ‘yun yung nag-push sa akin na dito na mag-work."

The hospitality industry is largely about catering to guests and making them feel welcomed and valued—and customs like staff meals allow restaurants to practice a similar sense of care toward the very people steering the wheel.

“I think magandang [analogy] na parang pinapakain niyo rin 'yung isa't isa,which is bihira siyang mangyari kasi we're always feeding other people,” says Toyo’s Miguel Ortega. “[Staff meals are a way] for people in the restaurant to feed each other… It's nice to have that avenue where you can also share those things with the people you work with.”