Cebuana restaurateur acquires ownership of grill house chain

CEBU, Philippines - A Cebuana restaurateur acquired full ownership of the NeoNeo Grill House chain in Cebu, a decision that was driven by the high prospects of the tourism sector in the province.

Ligaya Arong-Machida, who has been operating the Japanese restaurant chain Nonki in Cebu and Davao, decided to expand her restaurant business, noting that aside from Japanese cuisine, Filipino cuisine (lutong bahay style with a lot of grilling) is among the top four in-demand cuisines among tourists and locals.

Machida said the popular cuisines tourists and Cebuanos would usually go for include Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and Filipino.

Machida, who started Nonki in 2004, now owns the three existing outlets of NeoNeo Grill formerly owned and operated by a Chinese couple.

The new owner also recently opened the first upscale version called "NeoNeo Grill by Ging-ging" at the lower ground floor of JCenter Mall.

Machida believes that there is a huge potential for growth in Cebu's restaurant sector, despite the entry of bigger names to Cebu's dining landscape in recent years.

She said that NeoNeo Grill House has been popular  among diners who love the al fresco ambiance since its inception in 2003.

The newly opened "NeoNeo Grill by Ging-Ging," is 156-seater classic designed restaurant offering NeoNeo Grill’s signature Filipino food menu, with added choices to suit the more sophisticated target diners.

Machida said she wants to bring her culinary expertise to  the traditional fare, which will be emphasized on more refined and evolved take on classic recipes, bringing the diners' experience back to "lola's cusina" feel and flavors.  (FREEMAN)