MANILA, Philippines - With its fresh, California-inspired interior, the new California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) store at the corner of 30th Street and 9th Avenue at Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig, departs from its usual stark black and yellow color scheme and takes on more natural earth tones. You immediately notice the floor-to-ceiling picture windows that let the sunshine in. The tall communal tables, which can seat large groups of 12, as well as the regular tables, are made from locally sourced recycled guijo wood. And the different kinds of chairs, including the bar chairs, are specially designed with your comfort in mind.
“From a regular restaurant chain, we have evolved into a more homey, family-oriented restaurant that caters to the community,” says Griffith T. Go, chief finance officer of Global Restaurant Concepts, Inc., the Filipino-owned company that brought CPK to the Philippines in 1998, the first CPK store outside the US. The new CPK at BGC is its 10th store, nine of which are located in Metro Manila, including the recently opened store at Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo, and one at Harbor Point Mall in Subic.
With the opening of CPK at BGC just in time for the Christmas season, CPK is also launching the Holiday Party Meal, “a mix-and-match group meal package available for only P995,” CPK senior operations director, Luisa del Rosario Lomotan, explains. “Match a choice of pizzas like Pepperoni, Hawaiian, and Five Cheese and Fresh Tomato, with a choice of family-sized pastas like Spaghettini Vongole, Tomato Basil Spaghettini, or Spaghettini Bolognese. Valid for takeout and delivery orders, the Holiday Party Meal also comes with a free carrot cake and 1.5-liter Coke.”
At the media launch of CPK at the W-Global Center in Bonifacio High Street, guests were treated to some of CPK’s newest offering, such as the Asparagus and Spinach Spaghettini, Anchovy Pizza, Italian Sausage and Pepperoni Calzones served with roasted garlic bulbs, and Cheese Steak Sandwich made with USDA tender steak strips sautéed with button mushrooms, yellow onions, mozzarella and Queso Quesadilla cheeses.
We also found more interesting new items on the menu such as the Vegetarian Pizza and the Prosciutto Pizza, both crispy, thin-crust pizzas. The Farmers Market, an original-crust pizza made with grilled zucchini, squash, tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, mozzarella, goat cheese, Pecorino Romano and tomato sauce with balsamic glaze happens to be the personal favorite of Archie Rodriguez, CEO and president of Global Restaurant Concepts. Still, the all-time favorite and bestseller is the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza.
Before, 100 percent of the menu came from the US, but many local innovations have been introduced. “What sells in the US may not necessarily suit the Asian taste,” Go observes. In 2002, the adobo pizza was introduced. A number of other unique local ingredients have found their way onto the CPK menu. Still, everything gets approval from the US head office. The menu lineup is changed twice a year or every six months.
CPK Philippines is the first in the world to have its own commissary, Go proudly adds, which ensures the freshness of the ingredients.
When CPK opened its first store in Glorietta in 1998, there was a long line and a two-hour wait for the eager customers. “There’s more competition now,” Rodriguez observes, “so perhaps we cannot expect the same long line at the opening.” But the new store in BGC would be easier to fill. “With 140 square meters and 88 seats, it is just one-10th the size of our first store in Glorietta, which was about 1,200 square meters with 600 seating capacity,” Rodriguez remarks. “But the challenge is not to get customers, but to make everybody happy.
“It’s a happy job,” adds Rodriguez. “You get instant gratification when you see your customers enjoying themselves.”
Global Restaurant Concepts has more stores lined up to be opened soon, such as a second PF Chang’s (the first is in Alabang), the first International House of Pancakes (IHOP) in the country, the Japanese BBQ restaurant Gyu/Kaku, and Korean-based Italian restaurant Mad for Garlic.
“You need to have a passion for the business,” Rodriguez says. He can see himself doing this for the rest of his life. He asks, “What’s there not to like?”