The Chicken Charlie story

MANILA, Philippines - Ifore Yu’s love for fried chicken started early on when he was young and that led to the Chicken Charlie outlets that boast of the double fried chicken taste, something that he was able to sample in one of his travels abroad.

This is how the story of Chicken Charlie began. “It got me thinking why not bring this kind of chicken to the Philippines? Filipinos deserve a different spin to the usual fried chicken.” This discovery pushed him to conceptualize his very own brand of double fried chicken.

Chicken Charlie has now established itself as a homegrown brand – the first food chain in the Philippines to offer the double frying technique. “Since we are a homegrown brand, we were able to customize our menu to suit the Filipino palette; not just for our chicken but also with other dishes on our menu. Flexibility, personalization and quality ingredients are the main keys here.”

The fast food chain has developed a signature soy-garlic based sauce through an immense amount of experimentation.  With all these comes chicken that is consistently extra crispy, less oily and has a unique soy garlic flavor in every bite.

Finding a name was one of the most challenging tasks of starting his business, taking him several months. “One thing, I wanted for sure was a name that was easily remembered, and more importantly kid-friendly. One day, “Chicken” and “Charlie” suddenly ringed through my head as if a light bulb on cue when I thought of my dad, who happened to have the name “Charlie”. Thus, the “Chicken Charlie” name was born.

Chicken Charlie’s operations began from very humble beginnings, “Our first branch was a 30 square-meter space located along Quezon City with a seating capacity that could accommodate a maximum of eight people only. Staff count was only three – a cashier, a dishwasher and me. I did all the cooking, preparation and delivery of goods, as well as the morning marketing.” Ifore is proud of his regular trips to the market, “This ensured my suki would only supply me with the appropriate weight-size chicken wings and drumsmettes, consistent with my personal standards.”

Everyone testifies to Ifore’s hands on approach to every aspect of managing his business, his signature practice being on duty in the restaurant from opening to closing. “However, I was lucky enough to have my family helping with my restaurant operations whenever they can. Right now, we have 10 operational branches throughout the country.

We are looking forward to additional branches this year – the next branch expected to open in Cebu City during the 3rd quarter of this year (2012).

For more information on Chicken Charlie you can visit their website www.chickencharlie.net or dine-in at any of their branches located in Banawe, Quezon City • Katipunan Ave., Quezon City • Eastwood, Libis, Quezon City • Panay Ave. corner Timog Ave., Quezon City • Adriatico St., Malate, Manila • Lucky Chinatown Mall, Binondo,  Manila• J. Abad Santos St., Little Baguio San Juan •Bonifacio Global City, Taguig • Gaisano Mall, Davao City • Grand Prix, Cagayan De Oro.