Why Vicvic Villavicencio is on top of the World (Buffet)

MANILA, Philippines - When “buffet king” Vicvic Villavicencio talks, budding restaurateurs should listen. Not only will they get valuable information on how to run their business but, most importantly, they will learn how to have that elusive staying power.

Victor Vincent “Vicvic” Villavicencio, who introduced buffet dining at Dad’s SM Megamall in 1993, has been in the restaurant business for 30 years now and is still good at what he does.

“There are three reasons why people love dining at buffet restaurants. One, there’s more (food) variety. Two, they can eat and go. Three, it gives them value for money,” notes Vicvic.

However, it seems that the third reason doesn’t apply anymore as most buffet restos now charge from P800 to P1,100 per person.

“That’s too expensive, even if the buffet table is laden with premium items,” says Vicvic matter-of-factly.

In all of his restaurants — Kamayan, Saisaki, Dads, and Sambokojin — the most expensive buffet price is only P748, and that now includes unlimited drinks (sodas, fruit shakes, even Milo for kids).

Other restaurants have a drink bar, but the waiters won’t tell you where it is until you find it.

“Good service is very important in any restaurant setting. For some reason, most restaurateurs think that buffet restos are glorified fast-food places where everything is self-service. We don’t have a drink bar because I believe that if I see a customer lining up for his/her drink, that means we’re not doing our job well. We can’t get your food for the simple reason that we don’t know what you would want to eat, but tell our wait staff what you want to drink and we’ll serve it with a smile,” Vicvic says.

On top of that, most restaurants would even demand a 10-percent service charge from diners.

“I don’t believe in service charge,” the trailblazing restaurateur adds. “Our job is to serve our customers, so why should I charge you for that?”

The World on your plate

Vicvic, together with his daughters Kara and Mara Villavicencio, invited us to lunch to introduce his new baby — Dad’s World Buffet, a bigger and better Dad’s Crossover buffet restaurant at SM Megamall.

As the name suggests, Dad’s World Buffet offers delicious food items from around the globe.

To get the new concept off the ground, the layout of Dad’s SM Megamall was made even more accessible to diners, with the food stations just a few meters away from the tables.

Dad’s carving station greets diners as they enter the resto. The roast beef, crisp, golden-skinned turkey, and roast leg of lamb are such tempting sights.

One need not go to Brazil to experience how it feels like to dine in a churrascaria, the Brazilian grill or steakhouse. At Dad’s World Buffet, diners can enjoy the three-inch-thick slabs of beef and pork (called churrascos in Brazil) with onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes skewered and grilled right before your eyes.

Those with smaller appetites can opt for the Greek souvlakis — smaller skewers of tender cuts of beef and chicken — marinated in a white wine-and-olive oil mixture.

There’s also the Indonesian satay with chicken and beef morsels, barbecued, then slathered with peanut sauce.

Make your own fajitas in the Mexican section, or delight in the intoxicating aroma of curries at the Indian station.

For only P748, diners can savor all these plus Saisaki and Kamayan staples and drinks. Dad’s World Buffet has a beverage list that is presented to customers as soon as they’re settled. Just order the drink you want and the wait staff will bring it to your table.

“We now offer world cuisine,” notes Vicvic, who believes that the quality of food — in any restaurant — must be consistent every day. “For the first time, we have a full Chinese section, Greek food, Spanish tapas, Malaysian, Thai, and the churrascaria. The number of food choices has increased as well, but as a matter of policy, we don’t do what other buffets do: When the price is high, the premium items are there; when the price is lower, the premium items are removed.

I don’t want to dine in a (buffet) restaurant on a Monday only to find out that the premium items — like roast beef, salmon sashimi or uni — are missing. In our case, since there aren’t a lot of customers on weekdays, we lower the prices but never scrimp on the food. What you’ll have on a Monday is the same spread we serve on peak days (Saturday and Sunday) and we’re not talking about leftovers,” he says with an impish grin.

Dine at Dad’s to see for yourself why Vicvic is still on top of the World (Buffet).  As we’ve seen some restaurants folding up after a short lifespan, Vicvic has certainly discovered the recipe to longevity in the business.

* * *

Dad’s World Buffet is on the fourth floor of SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.

For reservations, call 636-3785 or 633-1758.