Tapsilog and more 24/7 at Katipunan
MANILA, Philippines - While the metropolis is filled with fast-food chains that serve burgers and fries, Pinoys will always have a soft spot for meals with rice and viands, as shown by the mushrooming of carinderia and turo-turo eateries in our communities. These community-based mini-restaurants serve classic Pinoy dishes such as sinigang and adobo, plus the popular combo meals like tapsilog, tocilog and longsilog, from breakfast until dinnertime. However, only a few manage to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Most of these 24/7 food stalls serve tapsilog and the like to cater to taxi drivers, employees with odd working hours and gimikeros who scour for food in the wee hours of the morning after a drinking spree. One of the most well-known of such establishments in Cebu is Sinangag Station, an all-day, all-night fast-food restaurant that serves full meals at rock-bottom prices. Resty Esponilla, an entrepreneur and food- and-beverage industry veteran, opened Sinangag Station’s first outlet along F. Cabahug Street in the booming village of Mabolo in October 2003.
To date, Sinangag Station has a total of 15 outlets, 13 in Cebu and two in Quezon City. The branch in UP Village is company-owned while the newest one, located along Katipunan Avenue, across Ateneo de Manila University in Loyola, is franchised by two young Fil-Ams, Gerome Garcia and Jason Miguel who chose to invest their hard-earned money in their homeland.
The duo found out about Sinangag Station last year in Cebu after attending a friend’s wedding party. The wedding reception ended past midnight and the two looked for a place to eat and found Sinangag Station in Mabolo, Cebu.
“It was love at first sight, so they say, and in this case, my buddy Jason and I did not waste time. We met with the owner Resty Esponilla to permit us to franchise Sinangag Station and build a branch on Katipunan Avenue,” said Garcia. “It was a good decision on our part to invest in Sinangag Station over other franchise businesses because aside from its convenience, it also offers very tasty Pinoy food at very affordable prices. The market will really appreciate our price and, at the same time, the quality of food we offer,” he adds.
At first, Esponilla had second thoughts since he had just opened the UP Village branch, and if another branch were to be put up, a commissary would then be required. Also, frequent travel to and from Cebu would be required of him in order to supervise it. However, with the perseverance of Garcia and Miguel, Esponilla finally agreed and the rest is history.
The Katipunan restaurant opened last June 14 and was attended by Esponilla and his wife, Garcia, Miguel, and their friends and relatives. With the opening of this new branch, the beloved tapsilog and its kinfolk will now be available 24/7 to the Katipunan community, particularly the students and employees of nearby offices who cannot go through the day (or night) without eating rice.
Racquel Cagurangan, general manager of 88DB.com, adds, “Sinangag Station came to us to help them with their website and we have since developed a good business relationship with the brand.”
88DB.com, the Philippines’ first rich multi-media service and lifestyle portal, is designed to help visitors find almost everything they need, from beauty shops and restaurants to real estate and car accessories. It is a super site where large companies, small-and-medium enterprises, organizations, and even freelancers can promote their products and services online.
It is a one-stop shop for online advertising services from ad listings to banner ads, e-mail broadcasts and web-hosting. With over 200,000 member-advertisers, 88DB.com provides consumers comprehensive choices of products and services.
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For more information log on to www.88db.com.ph.
