maninmotion

Owners of Chicboy are the same owners of PIER ONE BAR AND RESTO. "Juan" ang last name.

 

They setup a franchise system but was not able to manage the franchise well.

 

Nag over expand sila and hindi kinaya ng infrastructure nila. wala silang same backing as mang inasal had with jolibee.

 

Sayang, they had good food, and was promising naman.

This makes more sense. But a CHICKBOY still remains a VIABLE business concept. Kailangan lang palitan ang Business Model. The root problem could be UNDER CAPITALIZATION. Trying to raise capital to finance their rapid growth, maybe they resorted to FRANCHISING. However, they found it was more difficult to manage the whole organization with more people and legalities. Meantime, their backroom was inadequate, thereby, failing to meet demands. Further compounded by trying to increase capacity with product quality suffering. Their lack of capital further exacerbated their cash flow. Suppliers may have stopped or delayed deliveries while franchisees stop remitting their payments, They thought by hightailing their operation would make it work. In fairness, I still think the business concept is still very viable for an organization who can plug in the pitfalls.

KANTRIX Bulalo- E. Rodriquez Highway (Going to Teresa, Rizal) Barangay DALIG, ANTIPOLO. Between ROBINSON East Homes/St.Judith Hills and AYALA Land/St. Alexandra Estates. on your Left side going to Teresa, Rizal.

Naging Biker's and Cyclist's Stop na ito. Masarap ang kanilang Bulalo. Sabaw pa lang, ulam na. One BIG serving is Php120. Maraming gumagaya sa Antipolo ngunit hindi maparisan. Try ninyo, pag nagpunta kayo sa Basilica ng Our Lady of Good Voyage aka Our Lady of Antipolo.

FOOD: They only serve Bulalo 5.0/5.0 Walang ibang pagkain o ulam. Bulalo at Rice lang

SERVICE: Always Full but Fast 4.0/5.0 Palaging Puno lalu na kapag oras ng kainan. Saturday and Sunday mas lalo na

AMBIENCE: Carinderia ambiance 2.0/5.0 Dogs and cats sleeping on floor expect Flies as Bonus

PRICE: Cheap 5.0/5.0 Madami ang servings pwedeng pang dalawahan, unli ang sopas. Served with Patis and sili.

For me, when someone says FRIED CHICKEN, the first thing that comes to my mind is MAXs Fried Chicken. All the rest are variations. Pag may 5 spice, it's Chinese Style ala Savory or Sincerity atbp, pag breaded ay KFC, McDo, Chikenjoy, atbp.,pag grilled barbeque, Aristocrat, pag roast ay Andoks, Baliwag, Chooks, pag sweet and spicy Bon Chon, pag teriyaki, Japanese style, Southern Fried, Cajun Style.etc.

Also, a Fried Chicken should taste like Max's. My moms fried chicken recipe tasted like Max's.

Another thing I have noticed, the size of the chicken they serve at Max's original restaurant at Sct Fuentebella is bigger than the ones they serve in their outlets (ie. Antipolo Branch). I noticed this twice already when I ate there. Could this be true?

For MAMI and SIOPAO, there was MA MON LUK. The first outlet was along Quezon Blvd, in Quiapo. Then, they put one along Quezon Avenue near Banawe in the 60s. Then a branch along Aurora Blvd in Cubao in the 70s. I think the only one opened now is the one along Quezon Avenue.

There was another place that was popular in Binondo. A hole in the wall along Benavidez Street. The name was MAKONG. It is claimed that MAZUKI is the old MAKONG.

Another Chinese restaurant was SING YA Restaurant. If I remember it right, it was located beside ARISTOCRAT along Dewey Blvd.(Roxas Blvd.) in the 60s and 70s. Then they moved to a location along Marquez de Comillas (Romualdez St.) near Hotel Mirador. I am not sure whether the Sing Ya Restaurant in Quad Park is the same restaurant. I also wonder if it is still open.

Panciterias ANTIGUA, ROSE BOWL & SAN JACINTO. They were all located side by side along T.PINPIN in Sta Cruz/Binondo Area. They were the GOTO place for Chinese Food in the 40s, 50s, 60s before the advent of KOWLOON and ABERDEEN. Of course, there was also the CATHAY HOUSE along Dasmarinas St, in Binondo during the 70s.

The higher end Chinese restaurants in the city were EASTERN HOUSE along Mabini St., MANDARIN along Isaac Peral (UN Ave.), MARCO POLO along Shaw Blvd. in the 70s.

Nuong bata ako, masyadong mahal ang OREO, nabibili lang sa PX sa Angeles/Dau ang mga yon. Kaya, ang aking cookie na lang ay HI-RO with SARSI. Ayos na yong merienda sa hapon.

Home made OATMEAL RAISINS Cookies and CHOCOLATE CHIP Cookies. I want it really COOLED SOFT & CHEWY. I can finish two saucer sized cookies in one sitting. Of course, I have to have my pot or cup of EARL GREY Tea too.

I wish that a RAIN TREE Group or a BISTRO Group open a Casual Dining restaurant in Antipolo. Maybe, an ITALLIANIS or a TGI FRIDAYS or even one of Margarita Fores or Marvin Agustin's outlet would be nice. Their presence will definitely add more flavour and spice to an otherwise limited selection of gastronomic delights in the city. The way it stands now, the only thing Antipolo can offer is a MAXs, ARISTOCRAT and a GERRY's GRILL.

This CHICBOY thread started in May 2010 with rave reviews. Good Food, Big Portions and Cheap Price. Mostly were positive feedbacks, Of course there were also some NAYSAYERS. But by and large, the feedback and comments were more POSITIVE. But, by 2013, they were already closing newly opened outlets. Some say that they are losing money and started scrimping on the Quality and Quality of their food. Some one said that when the price of his favorite item went up from P99 to P115, he stopped going. Is that how sensitive this business in terms of pricing? But, even at this time people were still raving about the restaurant. To take the words of Hillary, "Whoa happened"?

Folks, let's make CHICBOY a case study for the DOs and DON'Ts of opening and operating a restaurant. They seemed to have all the right ingredients at first. Branches and franchise outlets were opening one after the other THEN suddenly they were closing as fast as they had opened and now they are nowhere. Sarap ng Lechon Cebu nila. Their condiment offerings were unparalleled upto now. They were Cheap and reasonable. Is it just BAD SERVICE? Deteriorating FOOD QUALITY? Ano po sa tingin ninyo? LACK financial capital for what they want to accomplish? Their BUSINESS MODEL? SAYANG!

Ano kaya nangyari dito? Maraming nagsasabi na "bad management" daw. Pero, anong ibig sabihin ng "bad management".

1. Lack of business FOCUS?

2. Bad priorities of financial resources?

3. Failed to control food quality?

4. Acrimonious relationship with franchisees?

5. Unprofitable franchise operations due to high operating cost?

6. Too large of menu?

7. Food cost too high but food prices are very low?

8. Expanded too fast?

9. Victim of its own success?

10. Wanted to be Mang Inasal + More. Example, shows, bands, drinking place, etc.

11. Please add more reason why you think it FAILED. It looked to me at one time that it almost had all the ingredients to give Mang Inasal a run for their money. Sad!

Vieux Chalet, Antipolo

 

vieux.jpg

I find this place over rated. Although, I've been here several times because friends would asked me about it and I feel obligated to bring them here.

Food- 3.0/5.0- As a restaurant that pretends to be a "gourmet" one, this falls short in taste, plating, presentation, etc.

Ambience- 3.5/5.0- It is in Antipolo on a ridge overlooking M.Manila but since I am from Antipolo, there are more places with better panoramic views of the city. The place is and old, worn out and tired house with eclectic furnishings.

Service- 3.0/5.0 Under staffed but with so much unnecessary and overwhelming waitstaff attention.

Prices- 2.0/5.0 Expensive for the quality and quantity.

Overall- 3.0/5.0 Well, it very well fits in the topic of this thread which is Secluded Dining Area. Maybe a perfect Trysting Place. You have to have a GPS or a map to find this place. It is in a remote area of Hinulugang Taktak but you'll see a lot of "off the beaten path" motels too.

MEOASIA just opened two weeks ago at Robinson Place in Antipolo. They offer Southeast Asian Cuisine with Shabu-Shabu and Steaks too. I tried their Phad Thai noodles and Tom Kha Gai soup. Not bad at all. Reasonably priced and portions are good for two. This is their first outlet and they are associated with ROMEO'S Grill Restaurant of Antipolo.

FOOD- 3.5/5.0 At least the one I tried. I'll go there again to sample other things.

SERVICE- 3.0/5.0- Still in the soft opening stage. Could still do better but it was relatively fast and courteous.

AMBIENCE- 4.0/5.0 Clean and well designed for it's class of casual dining restaurant in Antipolo.

OVERALL- 3.0/5.0- For an Antipolo resident, this could be another Go To restaurant for casual dining, other than a Max's or Gerry's Grill or a TOSH (The Old Spaghetti House), Aristocrat and Kuya J.

I wish a Teriyaki Boy kind of outlet would open here is Antipolo. Of course, there is a one outlet Tamagoya. Most Japanese restaurants here are mom & pop varieties with very limited offerings. I think Teriyaki Boy will do well here.

Manhattan Serenade

VELVEETA Cheese

OGETSU-Aura Global. Their "chirashi bowl" is my standard to compare other restaurants that offer the same thing. Their price, freshness, portion, variety, taste and quality consistency is hard to equal. Plus they have teppanyaki, robatayaki, tempura, yakitori, sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, sushi, noodles, etc. The only thing is their true authenticity since their taste and flavour is tweaked to the Filipino palate.

LAM TIN . Your "comida china" panciteria. Chinese cooking Manila style. Cheap and big portions. Good for quick hearty lunches.

Quiricada Street sa Quiapo.

Among the once I tried, I'll give my thumbs up to MANG INASAL. Even though they are a part of the Jollibee Group now, they were able to maintain their original concept. And their prices are still very reasonable. Their other side dishes are also okay for the price.

FOOD (INASAL) : 4/5

SERVICE : 4/5

AMBIENCE : 2/5

PRICES : Cheap

OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 4/5

I usually order the Pecho with Rice, Fried Lumpia or Sisig, Halo Halo, The Chicken Inasal Pecho is still juicy and tasty and has that smoky grill taste for Php100.

I tried the newly opened KUYA J's in Antipolo. Quite disappointed with the food I ordered. Tried their halo-halo UBE, because I heard a lot of good raves about it. Again, I felt that it was over rated.

FOOD : 2/5

SERVICE : 3/5

AMBIENCE: 3/5

PRICE : Mid & Reasonable for its category

OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 3/5

They just opened less than a month, so I guess they are still working on the kinks. So, I'll try them again after 2 months.

RUB RIBS & BBQ along T. Morato and another one along A.Roces at Sct. Tobias. Reasonably priced Baby Back Ribs w/ Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato very yummy.

Nothing different from the usual halo halo ingredients. It was just that all ingredients were "materiales fuertes" and slightly bigger servings. The scoop of ube ice cream was a huge scoop and as creamy as a Carmen Best's ube ice cream, that alone was a clincher. I think the bigger difference too was in the total experience of eating halo halo in a luxurious surrounding with live music playing and the lowly halo halo was served in a clear crystal goblet on top of a fine bone china saucer plate with a long silver teaspoon. The problem only was it could set you back by as much as USD10.00. Hahahaha, kaya high end.

Nope. It's based in Cebu and owned by a Filipino Chinese. I go their to satisfy my cravings for bam-i, sisig and halo halo.

Ok. Thanks. Ma try nga yun Bami nila tonight.

Ugbo St. sa Velasquez, Tondo. They were featured on several local TV shows before.

Ooops...medyo out of the way but I am fond of halo-halo and may go out of my way to try and taste something unique. Sir, what does it have that makes it a cut above the rest?

Nothing beats the original Halo Halo sa Ugbo. Open since 1957.

Saan po itong HALO HALO sa UGBO?