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By Perry Gil S. Mallari
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Pasta
putanesca, Buffalo Wings, Yang
Chao rice
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WHEN a family sets off to choose
where to eat on any given Sunday, the simple exercise can easily
turn into a tug of war. Mom and dad want Chinese; the teens crave
for pizza; and the little kids whine for burgers and fries. In the
past, there were only two solutions to the squabble, i.e. the family
splits up for the meal and meets later, or simply give way to
someone else’s appetite. Now, there’s a third option, and it’s
called Uncle John’s.
Located on the third level of
Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas Center, Uncle John’s is a new quick
service restaurant that aims to hit the spot of everyone’s
cravings, all under one roof. Johnson Robert Go, the restaurant’s
business unit head, describes Uncle John’s menu as “diverse.”
It is made up of Eastern and Western flavors, after a market
research showed that Chinese, American and Italian cuisines are the
most popular food choices among Filipinos.
Another interesting outcome of
their study is the restaurant’s name. “Our respondents
associated the name Uncle John with a fun and friendly atmosphere.
It seems like everyone has a favorite uncle who comes for visits
bearing gifts and colorful stories about his travels,” adds Go.
Where fast means fast
Service at Uncle John’s is
well, really fast. Orders are served in 10 minutes or less.
“We’re still trying to trim it down to 6 minutes,” reveals Go
who explains that they were able to achieve such service speed
through an efficiently designed work environment and kitchen traffic
management.
Setting up a cutting-edge,
fast-paced service is not a new thing for Go, who is also the
president of the MiniStop chain of convenience stores.
To clarify, however, speedy
delivery does not mean a dip in quality. Uncle John’s staffers are
able to prepare dishes fresh and hot every day because of a
well-laid, synchronized system that encompasses the procurement of
supplies to the finished product.
The new dining concept and quick
service are quickly catching the food fancy of families and barkadas.
The joint is teeming with a growing number of diners day in and day
out, despite that the pilot outlet is barely three weeks old. Go
attributes Uncle John’s early success to their efforts to
recognize today’s fast-paced lifestyle and the fact that eating
out is on its own a way of life for Filipinos. “Quick service
restaurants are well patronized because everyone seems to be in a
hurry to get things done,” he reiterates.
Wider choices, greater value
Whether one prefers Chinese,
American or Italian food, taste and value are the utmost concern at
Uncle John’s. A complete meal can cost from P100 to P150, which
already includes a main course, a side dish or dessert and a drink.
The whole thing is brought together with a dining ambiance that is
casual, modern and fun.
Fans of big-serving
American-style dining can indulge in burgers, fried chicken, potato
fries and macaroni salad cooked the stars and stripes way.
Traditional Italian pizzas are a must try, offered in six variants
(Cheese and Garlic, Ham and Cheese, Hawaiian, Pepperoni Italian
Sausage and Four Cheese), and served in 14- and 18-inch pans. These
go well with an array of all-time favorite pastas in red sauces
(Regular Spaghetti, Meatball Spaghetti, Italian Sausage Spaghetti
and Pasta Putanesca), and white sauces (Ham and Mushroom, and
Hungarian Sausage).
For the flavors of the Orient, Go
who personally goes for Chinese food, had his team whip up a menu
that is pattered after Hong Kong-style cooking. Starters include
dimsum fares like pork siomai, shark’s fin, fried dumplings,
Shanghai rolls, chicken feet and siopao. For hefty fillers, try the
noodle dishes; there’s chicken, beef and wanton mami, miki, bihon
and crispy noodles. For those who want all the flavors in just one
bowl, Uncle John’s recommends the rice toppings, available in
Shanghai rolls, sweet and sour pork, fish and bean curd and braised
beef.
Go, who participates in product
development, says that diners can always expect new items on Uncle
John’s jumbo menu. “Menu expansion is always part of our
plans,” he affirms; and so is opening more branches in
high-traffic malls as well as structuring a franchise scheme in the
very near future. All these of course, is aimed at keeping the
peace, and putting an end to food fights everywhere.
Uncle John’s is open Mondays to
Sundays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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