Guilly’s Island makes a niche at Paseo De Sta. Rosa food market

Filipinos love to eat. When one decides to enter the food business, it is hard to go wrong, especially if the cuisine specializes in all-time Filipino favorites. So when five enterprising friends who love to dine out opened Guilly’s Island in Paseo 3, it was not surprising that it became an instant hit.

Paseo 3 is the latest addition to Paseo De Sta. Rosa, a commercial center in Santa Rosa, Laguna. It is part of the Greenfield Development Corp.-masterplanned Greenfield City. Paseo De Sta. Rosa’s market includes residents of nearby Calamba, Batangas, and Tagaytay areas, and for Metro Manila dwellers as well, being only 45 minutes away.

All aboard

Guilly’s is a pet project among fun-loving friends: the husband and wife tandem of Noel and Arlene Aldaba, Noel’s brothers Ramon and Marco, and childhood buddy Raul “Cricket” Santiago III. “When we were young, we all loved to go out, have fun, drink and eat,” Noel reminisced. “We all love food. Period. That’s the basic reason why went into food business.”

Noel designed the restaurant himself – from the cozy booths, trendy lighting, sophisticated audio system, to the overall nautical theme. Upon entering, visitors will encounter an interesting conversation piece covering one whole wall: a gigantic treasure map. The map more than caps the restaurant’s nautical concept, it speaks of a fascinating tale behind Guilly’s Island Paseo 3 and the partnership that brought it to life.

The Aldabas, who belong to the same company in the automotive industry, have been assigned in its US and other Asian offices before finally setting in Laguna. Noel’s keen eyes swiftly saw the area’s great business potential and called on his partners to start a new venture.

That Guilly’s was sited in a prime location in Paseo 3 was somehow… a kismet. “Another restaurant that was supposed to occupy that space but it did not come to be,” Noel shared. Greenfield then offered the spot to the partners and that was the start of their voyage to success.

Good food, great service

Guilly’s Island tweaked the menu to cater to young hip crowd who go for all-time Pinoy favorites such as pork sisig, spicy gambas, tuna belly and boneless crispy pata, one of their bestsellers. “We also offer international dishes for our foreign patrons,” Noel said.

However, good food alone is not enough to make people come back for more. “More than good at great value, we also offer an exceptional dining experience,” he prides.

Seasoned restaurant staff poached from Manila underwent rigid training. The partners invested in state-of-the-art equipment for fast, efficient, and accurate service. “Our protocol is to serve the patrons within 15 minutes upon ordering,” he disclosed.

Cricket added that the partners set very high standards of service, which where mostly based from their personal dining experiences. “We love dining out and going to watering holes when we were young and until now. We tried to incorporate the good practices in Guilly’s brand of service,” he narrated.

“We also remembered what it’s like to get bad service. We kept that in mind and made sure it doesn’t happen to Guilly’s,” added Cricket.

Field of dreams

Noel is confident that he and his partners made the perfect choice in opening Guilly’s at Paseo De Sta. Rosa. “My family has been residing in Sta. Rosa for 10 years now. We love the quality of life here. It’s relaxed and peaceful,” he said. “I personally witnessed its development.”

Noel firmly believes in the unlimited growth potential of Sta. Rosa. “If you build it, they will come,” he quoted from the film Field of Dreams. “Sta. Rosa is a field of dreams.”

Barely two weeks since it first opened doors to the public, Guilly’s has already captured a hefty slice of the market. Frequent patrons consist of the corporate crowd from the industrial zone. “They come in droves for lunch. These same people will come later in the afternoon after work for early happy hour. On Fridays or weekends, these people will bring their families for dinner,” Noel relates.

Noel makes it a point to talk with customers. Here, he discovered their patrons are not limited to Sta. Rosa residents. “In fact, many of them hail from Calamba, Biñan, Batangas, Cavite. Some have even come all the way from Alabang,” he disclosed.

More and more people are now moving away from the metropolis to nest in a more relaxed and cleaner environment of Sta. Rosa. Shop owners in Paseo de Sta. Rosa will find that there is a continuously growing market not only within the area but also from Metro Manila residents who frequent Sta. Rosa.

For further information on Paseo de Sta. Rosa and other GDC projects, call 420-8003 or (049) 541-2845, email [email protected], or log on to www.greenfield.com.ph.