ERSAO brings Taiwanese street food to Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - With its vision to gradually penetrate the Philippine market and promote its Taiwanese style cuisine among Filipinos, ERSAO recently opened its first outlet in Cebu and outside the Luzon region.

ERSAO started 12 years ago as the country's pioneer in the milk and pearl tea business.

In July 2007, it eventually diversified its product line to freshly-steamed and street-side signature-flavored Taiwanese favorites such as dumplings, specialty noodles, spicy snacks, rice toppings and other healthy beverages.

ERSAO operations manager Charlene Hsieh said that they remain bullish with their initial expansion outside Metro Manila and is hopeful to spread out in the next years to come.

She, however, clarified that there is no specific time frame as to when would the next outlet be opened since they plan to gradually penetrate the Cebu market.

“We’ll study the market first,” she added.

She further revealed that their expansion program is mainly focused in the Visayas region starting in the Queen City of the South.

The restaurant currently has 21 branches including two more outlets that are undergoing renovation.

As they aim to introduce more Oriental dishes in the Philippines, Hsieh said that they ensure to keep the Taiwanese cuisine acceptable to Filipinos especially in terms of its pricing and quality.

“Filipinos like to eat. They are very adventurous when it comes to food and particular in flavor. In the Philippines, foreign restaurants mostly feature Japanese and Cantonese food. Taiwanese cuisine is not much well-known. But gradually, they know how to appreciate and accept our food,” she told The FREEMAN.

With over 84 products on its menu, prices of ERSAO’s food and beverages range from P45 to P195.

As her first franchise venture, ERSAO Cebu general manager Oileen Chio is bullish with the restaurant’s strategic location inside a mall with an increased foot traffic and accessibility.

ERSAO is located at the 3rd Level of J Centre Mall, A.S. Fortuna St., Mandaue City, Cebu.

“Our location here is very strategic as we are positioned near the cinemas so customers can either choose to grab a bite or grab a cup of milk tea before or after they watch a movie or even bring ERSAO goodies to snack-on inside the cinemas! We are also set apart from the daily flow of busy shoppers on the mall’s lower floors which makes our area typically crowd-free, perfect for enjoying meals without too much distraction,” she said.

ERSAO Cebu has a capacity area of 118 square meters, catering to a seating capacity of 50 persons.

The flagship branch also features a unique condiment corner where customers can personalize their fresh and hot Ersao snacks, a specially-designed lounge and al fresco dining area.

ERSAO started out as a commissary near Grace Christian High School in Quezon City, Metro Manila back in 1998 and has now expanded into 18 branches within Metro Manila.

Its first branch was opened in Banawe, Metro Manila on June 12, 2000. It finally ventured into franchising in 2011. (FREEMAN)