Dinelli at The Fort

"ECONOMIC crisis or not, people need to eat good food. This thinking is what drives many food companies to continue expanding despite the gloomy outlook for the economy this year.

Meehan Cellars, a three-year-old firm supplying wines to restaurants and hotels, has invested some P50 million in butchery equipment and facilities to be able to process their own delicatessen meat products.

The company has also invested about P12 million to open its flagship deli and restaurant called Dinelli Gourmet on Timog Avenue, Quezon City, and One McKinley Place at the Fort Bonifacio Global City in Taguig." (Read the rest here.)

Hooters in Manila

The ‘real’ Hooters opens at Mall of Asia
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
Special to BusinessMirror

“THE owl is landing at the Mall of Asia on April 28.”

Kaz Endo, managing director and partner of Paradise Wings LLP, a Guam-based company that owns the Hooters franchise for Guam and Asia, including the Philippines, was referring to the owl logo of the popular US restaurant chain. The Hooters logo is known worldwide as it is printed on the tight-fitting, white, spandex, sleeveless shirts of the restaurant’s buxomy wait staff.

“We are currently finishing up our plans for the grand opening, and let me just say it’ll be a blast! [There will be] live bands, free giveaways and, of course, everyone will finally be able to try our world-famous Hooters chicken wings and burgers,” said Endo in an e-mail to the BusinessMirror.

A “special VIP party” will also be held on April 26, with only select guests invited, according to the restaurant executive.

He said about $1 million will be invested to open the first outlet of Hooters right outside the Mall of Asia (MOA), reputed to be the largest mall in Asia which is owned and operated by the SM Group of Filipino-Chinese taipan Henry Sy. “Our restaurant is part of the restaurant row at San Miguel by the Bay. We are located at Building ‘D’ and have plenty of parking space in front of us, so our guests will find it very convenient to come for lunch and dinner.”

He said the originally-planned location for the restaurant at The Fort Entertainment Strip ran into some snags so the company decided to push forward with the MOA site. “We hit some delays with The Fort that was unfortunate, but we have since resolved them. When MOA became a green light, we proceeded with our plans to open it first. In hindsight, the delay at The Fort was fortunate as we have since changed our design ideas for the interiors.” The restaurant at The Fort was supposed to have opened in February. (See “Coming soon at The Fort: Hooters,” BusinessMirror, November 6, 2007.)

Hooters at the MOA is approximately 350 square meters, “but if you add the outdoor area, it becomes about 100 sqm larger,” Endo said. He said the entire area has a total seating capacity for 250 people.

Over 100 staff will be employed at the MOA site, including at least 50 female waitstaff. “We worked with MTV recently to do a ‘recruitment’ party and we will continue to work with local marketers to cast our Hooters girls,” he said.

Since news of Hooters opening in Manila was published in this paper, Filipino bloggers have been spreading the word about the restaurant’s opening. Some also wondered if the restaurant will also come out with a Hooters calendar like its US outlets.

Endo said the company is “considering” publishing a calendar and a magazine for its Filipino customers by 2009.

He added that Hooters Girls from the US will be flying into town during the first three weeks of operation at the MOA, “as they will be here as guests to help train and observe our local talent.”

Meanwhile, Endo said the company is aware of the fake Hooters restaurant along Diosdado Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City, which calls itself “Hooters Sports Bar and Restaurant”. He said: “Without going into detail at this time, I will just say that Hooters of America and the principles of that specific operation are currently in a legal dispute over trademark and concept infringment. Meanwhile, as the only authorized official franchisee of the Hooters brand, I encourage all customers who are curious about our restaurant concept to visit us soon! Hooters is a family-friendly environment with great food, casual atmosphere, and of course, Manila’s coldest beers!”

The fake Hooters sports bar uses a tarsier as its logo, but its large eyes are also positioned as the two “O”’s of its name, much like the real Hooters brand’s owl logo.

Remember the time?

GADS! Penthouse 7 was THE television show I absofuckinglutely wanted to be on! I was such a fan...a dance nut, with illusions I would be dancing the swing with Mike Monserrat or popping my elbows with RayAn Fuentes someday.

Oof! the fashion, the hairstyle, the dance moves...I love it! I hear there's gonna be a reunion of these guys on April 30 at the NBC Tent. I really hope someone can bless me with tickets. I'd die to watch this show.


(RayAn Fuentes was the only guy who could make white slacks and white shoes looks so cool!)



(Grabeh...ang titigas ng katawan ng girls! Talo sila ng boys!)

Interesting reads today

JUST wanted to share with you guys the interesting (and eerie) news/blogs I've read today.

Did anyone know that Quezon City is traffic accident capital of the country? Just check out this latest research from GMA News TV.

Metro’s killer roads claim 172 lives, injure 5,412 in first half of 2007

The accident that killed former Social Welfare secretary Dulce Saguisag took place early Thursday morning at the corner of President Sergio Osmeña Highway (South Superhighway) and Antonio Arnaiz Avenue (formerly Pasay Road) in Makati City.

Records from the MMDA’s Metropolitan Road Safety Unit show that 68 accidents happened at that particular intersection from January to September this year. So far, the road accidents in that intersection took at least two lives this year, including that of Saguisag.

Still, the Osmeña-Arnaiz junction is not in the MMDA’s list of “blackspots" or accident-prone areas. (Click GMA News TV for the rest.)

Here's one from the New York Times about how an artist had proposed to light up the Twin Towers way back in 1986. Chills up my spine!

An Eerie Portent in Light, 15 Years Before 9/11

Two bright, white parallel columns soar from the dark canyons of Lower Manhattan to pierce the night sky.

You think at first that you’re looking at a study for “Tribute in Light,” the ephemeral memorial to 9/11 that has become a civic tradition since its 88 spotlights were first illuminated on March 11, 2002.

But the date of the photomontage is all wrong: 1986. And the artist was Douglas L. Leigh, the lighting designer responsible for much of Times Square’s neon pizazz and for many of the luminous landmarks on the city skyline. That makes these images all the more stunning. (Read it at NYT Blog.)

Another one from NYT re: US slowdown next year. Tighten your belts kids. Don't believe a word from our government officials. If the US economy falters, so do we. Oof!

Fed Chairman Says Economy Likely to Slow

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 — Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, told Congress today that the economy is going to get worse before it gets better, a message that got a chilly reception from both Wall Street and politicians.

On a day when stock prices swung wildly, the dollar hit another new low against the euro and further signs emerged that consumers are growing more cautious about spending, Mr. Bernanke warned that the economy is about to “slow noticeably” as the housing market continues to spiral downward and financial institutions tighten up on lending.

But in a disappointment to investors, Mr. Bernanke offered no signal that the central bank might soften the blow by lowering interest rates for a third time this year at its next policy meeting on Dec. 11. (Read the rest at Bernanke.)

Here's good news from the Pacific Daily News for those who want to work in the U.S. territories of Guam and the Northern Marianas.

House bill nixes H-2 visa cap: Guam could benefit from CNMI immigration measure

Legislation that cleared a committee in U.S. House of Representatives yesterday would exempt Guam and the Northern Marianas from the nationwide cap on H-2 temporary worker visas.

The bill started as a move to tighten border security and stop alleged abuses of the foreign worker program in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

In addition, a new amendment would exempt the islands from the cap on H-2 visas. (Click here.)

And who says the Philippines is a poor country? 50,000 just paid to watch Beyoncé concert the other night, according to the Phil. Star. (And this just after the Josh Groban concert ha.) Why I wasn't there? Cos I'm poor!

50,000 paid to see Beyonce

In a country where money has to be doled out for crowds to hear politicians speak or for protests to be mounted, over 50,000 people paid – from P600 to P20,000 – to watch pop sensation Beyonce in her first-ever Philippine concert Wednesday night, setting a record in local musical history.

Under a clear star-lit sky, Beyonce drew in as many people as there were stars in the sky to the Fort Bonifacio open field in Taguig City for her one-night only concert.

Southeast Asian royalty and showbiz blue-bloods mingled with over 50,000 Beyonce fans for what has become the most-well attended concert of a foreign artist produced by MTV Philippines, the country’s biggest concert promoter. (Click Phil. Star)

The boys will just love this!

MY story on the opening of Hooters at The Fort, as published in the BusinessMirror, Nov. 6, 2007.

Dang you boys are lucky! When are we girls going to get any fun restaurants like this? I'm in the mood for some gorgeous half-naked hunky male servers!

EXCLUSIVE:
Coming soon at The Fort: Hooters

HOOTERS, the American restaurant made famous by its buxomy beautiful babes, will be opening its first outlet in the Philippines at The Fort entertainment strip in Taguig City.

This was confirmed by Kaz Endo, managing director and partner of Paradise Wings LLC., a Guam-based company which owns the Hooters franchise for Guam and Asia, including the Philippines.

In an e-mail to BusinessMirror, Endo said construction is ongoing at the restaurant, which will open its doors to the public by February 2008. “The Philippines, in particular Metro Manila, is a multinational city. Quality brands from around the world can be found here. Hooters, an American casual-dining themed restaurant, has many fans around the world, and with its expansion around the globe [e.g. China, Japan, South Korea, Dubai, Tel Aviv, etc.], it was only natural that this solid brand of over 30 years eventually found its way into the Philippines market.”

While he didn’t say how much his group is investing in the first outlet, Endo noted that the Atlanta-based parent firm and franchisor, Hooters of America Inc., requires a minimum of $1 million (roughly P43.7 million) of available funding per store. “The first store opening has taken about two years to plan and put together. We took our time because we wanted to enter the market correctly—not just bulldoze our way in. An aggressive expansion will be determined greatly by the [positive] response of the market. With this said, we intend on opening at a minimum two to three restaurants in and around select major city areas.”

Endo’s other partners in Paradise Wings are Guam-based businessmen Brian Y. Suhr and Michael S. Hahm, president/chief executive officer, and executive vice president, respectively of South Pacific Petroleum Corp.; and a Los Angeles-based lawyer named Charles Isgar. There is also a reported Asian partner, but for the Philippines, Endo did not name the group’s local partner.

The restaurant at The Fort will approximately measure 400 square meters, with a 150-seating capacity. It will also employ about 30 to 40 part-time and full-time staff. “This number exponentially grows as we expand. So in short, with the success of Hooters, so comes more job opportunities for managers, cooks and of course servers!” Endo said.

While the restaurant is most famous for its Hooters Girls, immortalized in a number of American films, TV shows, magazines, and calendars, Endo said their group is not hiring waitstaff based on looks alone. “No doubt, the Hooters Girls are the restaurant’s ambassador of goodwill and service. As pretty as they are, these are hardworking waitresses who make sure that customers of all gender and age are happy with our service. With an average of 70 percent of all sales coming from food sales—Hooters is still a restaurant, not a bar! We are being very selective with choosing who gets to be a Hooters Girl. They have to have a great personality, smarts as well as beauty. . . . all within a ‘girl-next-door’ package.”

He said Hooters at The Fort will look like any Hooters outlet in the U.S. and around the world, with the interiors dressed in pinewood to give a log cabin feel. It will also have on display products of American nostalgia and sports gear, aside from the usual gigantic TV sets strategically placed throughout the restaurant, “making it a perfect place to watch live sports (soccer, basketball, etc). It’s a casual dining atmosphere, so basically it’s a no-nonsense place where everyone is welcome.”

It will also carry the same menu as the U.S. and international including the restaurant’s famous chicken wings. “But for those looking for lighter fare, Hooters offers great appetizers, salads, soups and sandwiches. For something more hearty, [guests can] try our great burgers, chili or pasta dishes. Of course [we also have] Alaskan King crabs, grouper fish sandwich, and fresh oysters which are always great alternatives during the Lenten season or when you crave seafood,” Endo added.

While no particular market is being targeted by his group, Endo said Hooters normally attracts a young crowd, both male and female, followed by families and older adults. “Statistically, men tend to make up 55 percent of our customer base, followed by 35-percent female, and 10-percent family. An average [meal tab] will be approximately P500. A, B and upper C markets can afford our menu, and in particular those who like American concepts, we hope will give us a try.”

According to Endo, Paradise Wings will be opening the other Hooters restaurants itself instead of franchising these out to other interested parties. But the company will probably seek “investment partnerships” when aggressive demand for the restaurants picks up. “Hooters, as simple as the concept appears, is a very controlled environment; therefore, any operator/partner will have to go through extensive service-quality training and will be carefully selected,” he explained.

The company is also considering other locations in Asia such as Thailand, Bali and Vietnam.

The first Hooters opened on October 4, 1983 in Clearwater, Florida. According to its web site, the privately held Hooters of America Inc. operates and is franchisor of 435 Hooters restaurants in 44 states and 23 international locations such as Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, England, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and Venezuela.

Requirements for a Hooters franchisee include the ability to develop three to five restaurants within one’s territory, a restaurant location with at least 100,000-150,000 people within a five mile radius, $2 million in liquid assets, at least five years as a multiunit restaurant owner/operator.

A franchisee has to pay a franchise fee of $75,000 per location and an “option fee” of $15,000 for each additional restaurant option within a territory. Initial investment is between $800,000 and $1.5 million for each restaurant.

(Photo of Hooters Girl from HOA web site.)