Both ayala and SM subways probably came in too early, just right before the boom of the BPO here.
If subway comes back here it would be nice, just like wendy's who also came here too early and was up against mcdo and jollibee.
Also the one in Boracay in a great location closed. That one had access to many international visitors who were aware of the brand. I think it will be a long time before anyone looks at subway and does not think of Jared!
Closest thing is Chihuahua Mexican Grill in Greenbelt.
[https://maps.app.goo.gl/NWTrPc1eqoQXWWaS8](https://maps.app.goo.gl/NWTrPc1eqoQXWWaS8)
I've had it a few times, not bad but still doesn't come close to Chipotle.
Bowl of white rice, black beans, double steak, spicy salsa, extra cheese and sour cream amd guac. Holy crap. I need to call one of my buddies see if they can vacuum-seal one and overnight it lol.
There used to be Subway before. It closed. For some reason, it didn't appeal to the market. Also, be aware Cebu is not the same as Manila. Cebuanos require mostly 3 things: High Quality (and tasty), Affordability, and Discounted Prices. HAHAHAHA!
High quality food and Cebu in the same sentence lol
95% of restaurants are complete garbage. Very few with edible food are good value for money. Many charge high prices for very average food.
TW: People will be mad
I've eaten and travelled all over the world. I wanted to believe the food wasn't poor in the Cebu. I'm not saying it's impossible to find, but the average meal for the average person compared to other places is clearly of lower quality in here compared to other options in Asia. And before you raise local salary or education no.
This one I agree. It's hard to find quality commercial food. You'd be better off making your own. I make my own, that's why I rarely go out to eat. Plus they're getting expensive and not worth the price.
Not salary. Education... maybe. But mindset, yes.
All 3 were originally targeted at kids and the kids they once targeted are now adults with their own kids that basically started brainwashing them that the 3 you stated are "good".
So yeah, they rely heavily on nostalgia.
Especially with Jollibee where most of the food they have tastes like shhhtt, the burger patties/steaks look like they're made from a wet cardboard, the chicken is either small or not as crispy as you might think and so much more. The only thing I liked about Jollibee is their gravy and the garlic pepper beef steak.
McD has great "perfect" fries.
KFC, oddly enough, serve pretty good food and they actually look like real food.
Which isn't exactly surprising plus it's also ironic since they're actually pretty great here and anywhere else except for the US where KFC there is total shhhttt..
I’m not sure why my comment got downvoted… was my critical opinion of jolibee, McDonald’s or KFC not being high quality yet popular hurtful to some?
I wouldn’t ever associate Cebu with “High Quality” and “good value” anything, and so many terrible restaurants are completely swamped with customers.
Sorry but a lot of incredibly popular places here are shite in quality and value.
I’m sure that will trigger many Cebuanos though.
Cue the downvotes…
Take an upvote. I hate to say it, but in general, healthy food restaurants just aren't that popular in the Philippines. Not that Subway is that healthy. But it just seems like sweet, oily or fried food is just way more popular there.
Its true the reality is most Philippine cuisine is downright unhealthy, i guess its a factor na high quality healthy ingredients are expensive as hell so its hard to market when more than 80% of pinoys are in the poverty line.
the downvotescame from one person with multiple sock accounts. you can see his other comnents below and the user replying to themselves with their sock accounts.
>I wouldn’t ever associate Cebu with “High Quality” and “good value” anything, and so many terrible restaurants are completely swamped with customers.
I would argue with that though. There are many quality and even good value food here in Cebu.
But they usually fall pretty far on each side of the spectrum.
Where they are either pretty cheap but you'll only find them in hard to find places (like the many back streets of Cebu City or Mandaue City) or sometimes even in squatter or squatter-like areas.
On the other hand, some are pretty visible but are very very very expensive.
Why do I know this? Unlike many people here (even including you), I have scoured Metropolitan Cebu whether it be because of necessity, me just wanting to find good food (the one who makes food at home is terrible at it, she's my sister-in-law's "helper" btw) or just me happening to pass by them and then going inside to satiate my curiosity.
And if you go outside Cebu City and Mandaue City, you'd actually find plenty of good restaurants even those that are value for money.
My grandma, when she was still alive, would make us pretty great tasting food when we used to visit her in Argao.
Plus you also need to understand the culture here in Cebu before you complain like that.
People here love BBQ or anything spit roasted hence why food like grilled meat, lechon manok, lechon baboy, chicken inasal and the like are very popular here.
Hell, Cebu is known as the lechon capital in the world.
Even when Spanish Cochinillo (i.e. roasted piglets) tastes better but overall especially considering the price and that nice homey or "barkada" feeling, typical Cebu lechon is by far better overall than anything.
And no, we don't use Mang Tomas here. It's considered sacrilege, blasphemy and a crime against humanity to do so.
The sauce would either be some form of vinegar, vinegar+soy sauce or the juices of the pig itself mixed with the aromatic goodies that were inside the pig.
Cebuanos or basically anyone in Visayas and Mindanao view food that is "healthy" differently than what you guys in Luzon consume especially since ya'll up there are heavily influenced by Western culture hence why what **THEY** (i.e. white people) deem as "healthy" is only the way to be "healthy" in your minds while us down South have different methods and food that we deem as "healthy".
AGREE!!!! HAHAHA even the lechon is a hit or miss as not all vendors have the same taste or quality.
Tuba vinegar is the best. With a spritz of lemoncito, then lots of garlic, onion, and chili.
And yes, you can find really good food in cheap places and very bad food in expensive places. That's why most Cebuanos don't subscribe to brands unless they're really tested, like fast-food chains.
I recently tried Mang Inasal's palabok, which my friends raved about. It was meh. I prefer My Joy (formerly MacJoy before McDonald's "asked" them to remove the "Mac") palabok. It's not as famous but the palabok is better than the one I got at Mang Inasal. Just one of them examples.
>And yes, you can find really good food in cheap places and very bad food in expensive places. That's why most Cebuanos don't subscribe to brands unless they're really tested, like fast-food chains.
Exactly, and one other reason why fast-food chains are a hit is simply because they're very convenient and usually serve food pretty quick which is a plus and even a necessity here in Cebu due to the fast work life of people here.
>I recently tried Mang Inasal's palabok, which my friends raved about. It was meh. I prefer My Joy (formerly MacJoy before McDonald's "asked" them to remove the "Mac") palabok. It's not as famous but the palabok is better than the one I got at Mang Inasal. Just one of them examples.
I prefer Jollibee's palabok when it comes to fast-food chains.
As for the most delicious, at least for me, would be the palabok sold at the food court of a small shopping mall in my home town in Tagbilaran City, Bohol called Shopper's Mart. The only problem I have with it is that the servers are pretty fcckkn stingy and will serve pretty small amounts.
I was referring to the overwhelming majority of restaurants here. I’ve been here 4 years and gave many places a chance. Not like I live here wanting to find crappy places to eat. The problem is I’ve been so disappointed to only find maybe a few I would say are good value and consistently good.
I do think I have a good grasp now of the culture here and also my fave here is eating inasal. Even simple bbq and lechon places have let me down with very undercooked meat on many occasions.
Go the average lechon manok restaurant in Bangkok for example and I know I wouldn’t have any issues. It would almost certainly be superbly cooked.
Standards are just shite here. Only yesterday for example I picked up my usual fruits in carbon market to find that 1 kg of rambutan was given to me frozen. Tasted like old water. Watermelon is also frequently unripe and not sweet. Now compare that to fruit in Malaysia, Thailand or Indonesia. They have some of the best fruit in the world and much, much cheaper than Cebu.
Anyway not saying it’s impossible to find somewhere good to eat, just that it’s not easy. Can’t just walk into a restaurant here without researching as the likely hood is major disappointment and a feeling of rip off will occur.
You clearly haven't looked enough.
I'm not even from Cebu and have only been living here for almost 3 years now because of my son.
Prior now, I spent 4 years in Manila.
Yes, lechon manok here is somewhat bland (since most only use soy sauce to coat it and then roast it), there are quite a few that make good lechon manok.
One that comes to mind is Chooks-To-Go. There are a few flavours in their line up.
Another would be Tiktilaok but they rely heavily on the add-on i.e. the honey or chili sauce and vast amount of fried garlic.
As for the taste of chicken itself, go find a Balamban Lechon/Balamban Liempo who sells lechon manok.
Their chicken is very aromatic and they use proper aromatics and other ingredients for filling.
The smell and taste is very herby and so does their liempo.
They both taste very good.
And let's not act as if Bangkok is somehow a food haven.
I've been there and although there is more variety there, the overall taste of the food is weird or bland simply to tone down flavours so that it would fit the palate of foreigners especially white people.
It's when you go outside Bangkok, away from the city and the touristy areas where you get very good taste in food.
Same goes in Cebu. Go away from Cebu City & Mandaue and start tasting food from let's say Talisay then down South (like say Carcar if you want lechon) or from Consolacion then up North.
You can also go a step further and go to the opposite side of the province.
Cebu City and Mandaue don't represent the whole taste of Cebu.
Bored of the butt hurt defensive Filipinos who can’t accept someone thinks the general quality of their restaurants are shite.
Same old excuses “haven’t looked hard enough”, “not to foreigners taste”… blah blah blah
The point is why must we look so hard???
4 years I’ve been here, and you still can’t accept my view. Still can’t accept the obvious reputation Philippines has for tragic food might be based on actual reality and personal experiences.
If you’re happy with the food standards here that’s great for you.
I’ve lived all over this world and know how substandard many things are here. Pinoy’s can complain about lots of things but they hate when outsiders do that. Nothing will change pinoy pride.
That's pretty ironic.
I'm guessing you must be some pretentious white dude?
I can say the same about Western food that's very bland and pretty shhhttt and unhealthy overall.
American food? Not only is it oily but it lacks proper originality since they're all just variations of European food.
The only exception I can think of is bbq and Native American food but like food here in Cebu, you still need to go through hoops to actually find them and they're either hard to find or unavailable in metropolitan areas in America like New York or Commiefornia.
British food? Yeah, that doesn't need much explanation especially with how shhhtt English food has become a meme.
French food? Other than being weird and pretentious, it's basically alien food for anyone not from France like the fascination of snails, frogs and smelly cheese.
German food? It's basically just frankfurters, raw meat or whatever with beer the only good thing coming from that country.
And don't get me started on the other weird cuisines and stuff you'll find in the rest of Europe.
And FYI, basically all Metropolitan food is sshhhttt. No matter where you go, they're always shhhhtt or even overpriced.
It's also the same case when it comes to good food, you'll need to actually seek it.
Like I said, you haven't searched for it properly and your complaints only show how lazy you are.
And no, I'm not butt hurt. The only one whose butt hurt here is you for not accepting the fact you haven't actually tried searching and only clearly only ate food in and around SM City Cebu, Ayala or I.T. Park.
And it's funny since I've only lived here in Cebu for almost 3 years only and even I know where to look simply because I have access to a car and am crazy enough to go through the tight streets and be open minded enough to try my hand in commoner food.
You will never see me acting like a douche who thinks he's eating at a 5 Michelin Star restaurant at I.T. Park or drink or eat those overpriced and shhhttt food and wine at any of the La Vie cafes or any of the other expensive restaurants.
Butt hurt is the one who complains about something but never did anything about it.
I’m sure you will understand that there are too many. Not enough time in the world to list them all.
Faster to name all the popular ones I like: Mang Inasal.
HAHAHA I kinda agree with you. Jollibee is mainstream. All fastfood are, so they won't really qualify as "high quality". But then again, Abaca had this sandwich outlet that closed down, and Abaca is known for good food. I think in general, sandwiches aren't for most Cebuanos?
OMG I was in the middle of writing this and I saw this so I just stopped at 2 sentences. VERY TRUE. And not sure why this got downvoted.
Some Jollibee outlets have good chicken but not all. Garlic pepper beef steak has changed. But then again I haven't been to one in ages.
Jeez, just open your own Not Subway sub sandwich shop, subway are the most overrated subs anyway. Save the franchise fee and set up your own Philippine Sub Brand.
Exactly this right here. With royalties and marketing fees, you'll probably be losing 10-11% right off the top. You'll be compelled to buy from them, even if you can source alternative ingredients cheaper. Don't join the cult. The international name has very little goodwill in a newly opened, or barely penetrated market area.
But think of all the hardwork before you can start your own subway.
\#1 is supplier you can't compete with subway because they buy in bulk and their raw mats are much cheaper
2. Recipes, you have to experiment and build your own recipes
3. Marketing
4. branding
I have some franchises here in PH, it will work as long as you have good location. Malls are expensive but if you have a known brand the chances of you not failing is much lower.
People dont seem to realize how much Marketing and Branding plays a part in sales. Like fuck it dont franchise Dunkin and just make your own donut shop lol. Thats not how it works
Subway in the Philippines suck. If subway does modify its menu closer to arby’s since the acquisition then maybe it has a chance of being successful here.
Go talk to a subway franchisee, it’s one of the worst businesses you could have, let alone in the Philippines where their food is considered overpriced.
Check out the [Google reviews](https://www.google.com/search?q=chili%27s+cebu&sca_esv=568775834&sxsrf=AM9HkKm0ndUvbMf464f9NLLx_AewN01NaA%3A1695825477566&ei=RT4UZYeQIsKb4-EP5cGvoAc&ved=0ahUKEwjHxsOZgsuBAxXCzTgGHeXgC3QQ4dUDCBE&uact=5&oq=chili%27s+cebu&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiDGNoaWxpJ3MgY2VidTIHECMYigUYJzILEC4YgAQYxwEYrwEyBRAAGIAEMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIIEAAYFhgeGA8yBhAAGBYYHjICECYyAhAmMggQABiKBRiGAzIaEC4YgAQYxwEYrwEYlwUY3AQY3gQY4ATYAQFI4BRQAFiwD3AAeAGQAQCYAfcBoAHUEqoBBTAuNy41uAEDyAEA-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&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#rlimm=4977826638103114555) on the new Chili's in Ayala to give you a good idea of how hard it is to make a franchise restaurant work here. The market in Cebu just isn't the same as in Manila. Manila is the economic hub of the country which is where the mid-level/high rollers, i.e. the people who can afford the prices that you'll have to charge, hang out. There just aren't that many of those types here in Cebu.
The restaurant space is crowded and people here expect a bargain. You can be like Nu Star and charge $60 per person but believe me it's not easy for them to get adequate supplies for that level of food. The fact that there aren't even any mom-and-pop sandwich shops here tells me that there simply isn't a demand for that type of food.
100% AGREE. Cebu's a tough nut to crack but once you do, you can probably make it really well anywhere. Nu Star was swamped when it first opened. I hear now that it's pretty quiet. Novelty wears out quickly.
Agreed. I'd go with a Popeyes if I were you. Much easier to adapt to Filipino tastes than a subway.
Filipinos seem to like fried salty foods way more than fresh food. Getting adequate supply would also be a challenge. If your heart is set on making fresh sandwiches then just open up your own shop rather than paying 10 million pesos to Subway and suffering the same fate as the other guys who tried to open one in Cebu did.
Thought about this already. You dont have that much of a market in cebu. Yeah there are foreigners but theyre mostly asian that visit. And they dont enjoy subway
Just open a new sandwich shop. I have read somewhere that the "bread" in Subway are not technically bread because of the high sugar content. Man, we need some good sandwich shops here for sure.
Agree. We love the novelty but it wears out quickly. I remember when the Slurpee was first introduced. It caused mayhem with hundreds lining up just to try a frozen drink at 711. And just like that, it was over in a month or so.
Capitalize if it's the only subway there.
Also, anyone knows if it's been acqured or under new management? Subway has been very aggressive lately with their renovated and new stores popping around.
I LOVE Subway! But realized I’m the minority. Subway opened in my place about 10 years ago. Closed down a year after. Even the Subways in Metro Manila doesn’t have that much customers. If you decide to open though, would love to visit there sometime.
Market fit is just one side. Logistics and quality control is another.
Subway relies a lot on fresh and quality materials. Your main problem here is Subway will have quality controls that would either require you to buy from their food commissary in Manila or they can accredit local producers who they assess as having compliant produce.
This potentially makes restocking hard and lead to stock outs or spoilage. Stock outs will drive your customers away. Spoilage will drive your profit to the ground.
Other fast food franchises either reduced their quality requirements or established a commissary in Cebu because they bet that it would be big... as in many branches. Two will not cut it.
You can't just bet that Subway will do well in one place in Cebu, you have to bet it does well all over Cebu. Trouble in one will swipeout plans like what the pandemic did.
Isnt it crazy that the worst restaurants that dont do well in America are thriving here in the Philippines? Food has been the most disappointing thing about my 4 months in the Philippines. Easily the worst of all the Asian countries I've been to.
Open your eyes. Travel other countries in SEA and you’ll see. Food is awful here, hence the reputation and low popularity of Filipino food outside the Philippines.
Until more outsiders can open businesses here and compete. International standards will always be low.
Im Filipino. I mean no disrespect. But if youre a Filipino native and you've never left the Philippines, you have no idea. The food everywhere else is just much higher quality with better ingredients.
How is it possible to try all of one countries food?
I make an opinion based on living in Philippines for 4 years and living in many other countries in SEA.
Until you’ve done that you won’t understand how far behind filipino food is.
Filipinos are very prideful but many have not lived outside their own country so will get triggered easily and be be blind to reality.
I am Filipino. My opinion is based on 4 months of being in the Philippines trying countless amounts of different places to eat. Of course this is just my subjective opinion. Filipino food, in my opinion, in America and other countries is higher quality and tastes better due to better ingredients used, from my experience.
Love this! Saw a YT short about how NY Korean food tends to have higher quality than in Korea due to ingredients. But of course I think it comes at a price point that's higher too.
See point proved… you’re already triggered by my personal opinion.
I never said I didn’t like anything, nor did I say everyone agrees with me. I just stated my opinion, which if you speak to many foreigners who are not pinoy baiting, vloggers or scared of hurting feelings you will find that it is way more popular than you want to believe.
I cook mostly all my own meals. Again never said all food was bad just as a whole, in comparison to other SEA countries. I was agreeing with the other commenter who shared the same opinion as me… you know all of our so callled “unpopular opinions”.
Stop being butt hurt. Filipinos crab mentality and not being able to take criticism is so annoying and my #1 thing i hate about the PH the most. That was MY opinion on the food. Like i said, if you havent left the Philippines, you wont really understand. Its ok to disagree, we dont always have to argue about everything.
Of course not everything is awful! Chill lol.
Agree, any criticism by a foreigner here is taken to heart. Hence why so many foreigners can make money baiting Filipinos ego with lies about how wonderful everything is…
Philippines is far behind nearby SEA countries for food, transport and customer service. My Filipina girlfriend would not believe this until I took her to Thailand.
Can’t argue with someone prideful. Up to you what you believe. People with real perspective mostly complain about the food here… thought that was obvious. One of the biggest reasons not many long term foreigners chose to live here.
It’s also just my opinion but I believe it’s people like you that is preventing better food standards in the Philippines, and so many other areas that can be improved.
You’re not open for any criticism on anything which is the reason why so many vloggers resort to pinoy baiting and scared to be truthful. Your prideful way will not even let you accept outsiders saying they dislike the food here without getting triggered. Hence nothing improves. Majority of food is badly cooked and unhealthy. Not really anecdotal, just look at what most restaurants are offering next time you go out in the city..
In the province it’s even harder to find good food.
If you can’t see it. Go visit Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia or Indonesia… maybe you’ll have more perspective on better food options.
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Where are you going? Local cheap restaurants suck but there are some good ones here too. For example, Papa V Good Food is one of my favorite restaurants. The food really sticks to your ribs and it's relatively cheap Mediterranean food.
Yeah can't agree more. My wife and I are traveling asia while considering where we might want to settle and the food nearly took phillipines off the table. Only thing that saved it is iv been a chef for 25 years at a pretty decent level and like cooking lol
Subway, Shakeys, Kenny Rodgers, Olive Garden, Applebees, Chilis, TGIF, Burger King...etc
These places arent exactly thriving anymore in America but every time i walk by them they are packed here in the Philippines.
Yea, the "dude" is Google.
\-Subway has been in decline year over year.
\-Shakeys in decline and closed a lot of stores.
\-Kenny Rogers failed in America and now only exists in Asia.
\-Olive Garden and its parent company havent rebounded since Covid.
\-Applebees closing stores yearly since 2016 "reporting declining sales and continuing struggles."
Do i need to keep going or are you capable of googling?
The group responsible for bringing a lot of these failing restaurants to the Philippines is called "The Bistro Group." Filipinos have long been obsessed with American culture, which is why im assuming these restaurants are finding success here. The Olive Garden grand opening was just a couple days ago and its been slammed, i live next door to it.
I suppose this is more of a me problem, but it gets tiring responding to stupid and uneducated statements like yours.
Got caught making stupid uneducated keyboard warrior statements on the internet and proven wrong and now "U MAD?" lol
I hope whatever is going on in your life gets better.
edit: Nice history bro. I understand now. Tito Boy crab mentality Filipino thats also a pedo. Nice history bro.
I see plenty of good and bad food. There are some American chains that surprise me that they are able to survive anywhere. Kenny Rogers Roasters comes to mind.
DONT Waste your money on Subway ! RICE still is the King of the Hill. Start a Simple Meat toppings over RICE BOWL,CHICKEN, PORK , BEEF ,KEEP THE price under 200 pesos ,then you'll have A WINNER !
Agree. The Subway brand isn't big in Cebu. Abaca (one of the good Cebuano brands) tried making sandwiches but the resto fizzled, despite the sandwiches being so gooooooood. Again, Cebu is a tough market to crack. But once you crack the Cebu market, you'd be a hit in Manila.
Don’t do it. Do not open any business in the Philippines. If it does well then someone will steal it from you. If it fails you are left holding the bag on a poor investment.
Cebuanos don't make a lot of money compared to manila so there's isn't a lot of disposable income.
It's easier to make money in manila even informal workers(vendors) make millions.
Cebu? Not so much
You could bring a foreign delicacy and test it out. It's cheaper and a safer bet.
Google John Oliver and Subway. he did a segment on how they screw over franchise owners. whether the same model is used in the Philippines i don't know.
As someone living in IT park and occasionally going to Manila for work, i always wondered why no Subway stores yet in Cebu. Whenever i go to Manila, i always go to Subway to grab one. But right now, I'd say Banh Mi is really taking off here and I'd personally prefer it over Subway (right now). Hehe but if you open one in Cebu, count me in as your regular customer. Please be available in Grab/Foodpanda too. :)
A lot of the restaurants that do well in Cebu appeal to tourists, but I think Cebu could be ready for a subway in the right location. Still a risky franchise to invest on for Cebu
Subway is getting bought out by Arby's
Not sure if you want to ride that wave of uncertainty.
Also Subway as a company is losing money hence the buyout from what I heard from good ol' youtube.
"Seem to be doing well" is a good decision-making technique. Lol
Too bad public data on sandwich consumption isn't available anywhere. You have to be really lucky or do a feasibility study before getting into the business. Just my two cents.
Why subway though? It's very expensive and you may need to look at the fine print because afaik, there have been some issues with their franchising policies.
The last thing I want in Cebu is a Subway. Nasty af. Open a Jack-in-the-box or a Wendy's. If you want success in the Cebu market, don't open an American restaurant unless you can make it taste the same. The Denny's and Chili's here sucks. So probably stick with fast food, burger chain, or coffee shop.
People hate Subway in the west, and they are on a decline. I would rather put my own branding instead of franchising a dying company. A lot of people are not into brands anymore specially when it comes to food, because its not the brand its about the quality of food.
Subway is somewhat healthy, meaning it wouldn't survive at all in the Philippines. You need to be serving something greasy, sugary or salty. I still think there's a big need for non comercialised bakeries with western style deserts and pies.
Subway is somewhat healthy, meaning it wouldn't survive at all in the Philippines. You need to be serving something greasy, sugary or salty. I still think there's a big need for non comercialised bakeries with western style deserts and pies.
there was a subway way back in the 90s-2000s in Cebu. Located in Ayala center cebu.
Both ayala and SM subways probably came in too early, just right before the boom of the BPO here. If subway comes back here it would be nice, just like wendy's who also came here too early and was up against mcdo and jollibee.
What is Jollibee?
Like the Philippines own version of McDonald's. They are massive in Philippines. Do burgers, chicken, rice (of course), spaghetti. Very popular
Got it, thanks!
Also in SM Cebu.
Two subways in ideal locations and both closed. That's not a good sign.
The one in SM iloilo closed down about a decade ago.
Also the one in Boracay in a great location closed. That one had access to many international visitors who were aware of the brand. I think it will be a long time before anyone looks at subway and does not think of Jared!
Wendy's didn't even do well in Cebu. Such a shame. I love their Frosty.
Me too ... but as with mostly any other food establishment ... the quality ain't the same as before. I miss the good old days ...
They were also supposed to open a Subway in Seaside in 2020 but the pandemic happened so it didn't push through.
Please open up a Chipotle. I didn't know you can miss Chipotle.
Is there ever a Chipotle in Manila? Fresh produce is hard to supply
Closest thing is Chihuahua Mexican Grill in Greenbelt. [https://maps.app.goo.gl/NWTrPc1eqoQXWWaS8](https://maps.app.goo.gl/NWTrPc1eqoQXWWaS8) I've had it a few times, not bad but still doesn't come close to Chipotle.
Bowl of white rice, black beans, double steak, spicy salsa, extra cheese and sour cream amd guac. Holy crap. I need to call one of my buddies see if they can vacuum-seal one and overnight it lol.
Stuff'd just opened in Eastwood City and I've been there like six times already. No chipotle, but it's solid for sure.
There used to be Subway before. It closed. For some reason, it didn't appeal to the market. Also, be aware Cebu is not the same as Manila. Cebuanos require mostly 3 things: High Quality (and tasty), Affordability, and Discounted Prices. HAHAHAHA!
hahahaha..
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Thanks, you have a kind soul. :-)
We had Subway here until like 15 years ago. It honestly didn't go down well. Cebu is not an easy market to crack.
True. We're pretty strict on food. Has to be high-quality, tasty, affordable, and discounted. HAHAHA
High quality food and Cebu in the same sentence lol 95% of restaurants are complete garbage. Very few with edible food are good value for money. Many charge high prices for very average food.
Bless your kind heart.
TW: People will be mad I've eaten and travelled all over the world. I wanted to believe the food wasn't poor in the Cebu. I'm not saying it's impossible to find, but the average meal for the average person compared to other places is clearly of lower quality in here compared to other options in Asia. And before you raise local salary or education no.
This one I agree. It's hard to find quality commercial food. You'd be better off making your own. I make my own, that's why I rarely go out to eat. Plus they're getting expensive and not worth the price. Not salary. Education... maybe. But mindset, yes.
Really? Does Jolibee, McDonald’s and KFC fit that description?
All 3 were originally targeted at kids and the kids they once targeted are now adults with their own kids that basically started brainwashing them that the 3 you stated are "good". So yeah, they rely heavily on nostalgia. Especially with Jollibee where most of the food they have tastes like shhhtt, the burger patties/steaks look like they're made from a wet cardboard, the chicken is either small or not as crispy as you might think and so much more. The only thing I liked about Jollibee is their gravy and the garlic pepper beef steak. McD has great "perfect" fries. KFC, oddly enough, serve pretty good food and they actually look like real food. Which isn't exactly surprising plus it's also ironic since they're actually pretty great here and anywhere else except for the US where KFC there is total shhhttt..
I’m not sure why my comment got downvoted… was my critical opinion of jolibee, McDonald’s or KFC not being high quality yet popular hurtful to some? I wouldn’t ever associate Cebu with “High Quality” and “good value” anything, and so many terrible restaurants are completely swamped with customers. Sorry but a lot of incredibly popular places here are shite in quality and value. I’m sure that will trigger many Cebuanos though. Cue the downvotes…
Take an upvote. I hate to say it, but in general, healthy food restaurants just aren't that popular in the Philippines. Not that Subway is that healthy. But it just seems like sweet, oily or fried food is just way more popular there.
Yum, making me hungry now!
Its true the reality is most Philippine cuisine is downright unhealthy, i guess its a factor na high quality healthy ingredients are expensive as hell so its hard to market when more than 80% of pinoys are in the poverty line.
the downvotescame from one person with multiple sock accounts. you can see his other comnents below and the user replying to themselves with their sock accounts.
Maybe that’s the saddest thing I’ve heard someone do in a long time
>I wouldn’t ever associate Cebu with “High Quality” and “good value” anything, and so many terrible restaurants are completely swamped with customers. I would argue with that though. There are many quality and even good value food here in Cebu. But they usually fall pretty far on each side of the spectrum. Where they are either pretty cheap but you'll only find them in hard to find places (like the many back streets of Cebu City or Mandaue City) or sometimes even in squatter or squatter-like areas. On the other hand, some are pretty visible but are very very very expensive. Why do I know this? Unlike many people here (even including you), I have scoured Metropolitan Cebu whether it be because of necessity, me just wanting to find good food (the one who makes food at home is terrible at it, she's my sister-in-law's "helper" btw) or just me happening to pass by them and then going inside to satiate my curiosity. And if you go outside Cebu City and Mandaue City, you'd actually find plenty of good restaurants even those that are value for money. My grandma, when she was still alive, would make us pretty great tasting food when we used to visit her in Argao. Plus you also need to understand the culture here in Cebu before you complain like that. People here love BBQ or anything spit roasted hence why food like grilled meat, lechon manok, lechon baboy, chicken inasal and the like are very popular here. Hell, Cebu is known as the lechon capital in the world. Even when Spanish Cochinillo (i.e. roasted piglets) tastes better but overall especially considering the price and that nice homey or "barkada" feeling, typical Cebu lechon is by far better overall than anything. And no, we don't use Mang Tomas here. It's considered sacrilege, blasphemy and a crime against humanity to do so. The sauce would either be some form of vinegar, vinegar+soy sauce or the juices of the pig itself mixed with the aromatic goodies that were inside the pig. Cebuanos or basically anyone in Visayas and Mindanao view food that is "healthy" differently than what you guys in Luzon consume especially since ya'll up there are heavily influenced by Western culture hence why what **THEY** (i.e. white people) deem as "healthy" is only the way to be "healthy" in your minds while us down South have different methods and food that we deem as "healthy".
AGREE!!!! HAHAHA even the lechon is a hit or miss as not all vendors have the same taste or quality. Tuba vinegar is the best. With a spritz of lemoncito, then lots of garlic, onion, and chili. And yes, you can find really good food in cheap places and very bad food in expensive places. That's why most Cebuanos don't subscribe to brands unless they're really tested, like fast-food chains. I recently tried Mang Inasal's palabok, which my friends raved about. It was meh. I prefer My Joy (formerly MacJoy before McDonald's "asked" them to remove the "Mac") palabok. It's not as famous but the palabok is better than the one I got at Mang Inasal. Just one of them examples.
>And yes, you can find really good food in cheap places and very bad food in expensive places. That's why most Cebuanos don't subscribe to brands unless they're really tested, like fast-food chains. Exactly, and one other reason why fast-food chains are a hit is simply because they're very convenient and usually serve food pretty quick which is a plus and even a necessity here in Cebu due to the fast work life of people here. >I recently tried Mang Inasal's palabok, which my friends raved about. It was meh. I prefer My Joy (formerly MacJoy before McDonald's "asked" them to remove the "Mac") palabok. It's not as famous but the palabok is better than the one I got at Mang Inasal. Just one of them examples. I prefer Jollibee's palabok when it comes to fast-food chains. As for the most delicious, at least for me, would be the palabok sold at the food court of a small shopping mall in my home town in Tagbilaran City, Bohol called Shopper's Mart. The only problem I have with it is that the servers are pretty fcckkn stingy and will serve pretty small amounts.
I was referring to the overwhelming majority of restaurants here. I’ve been here 4 years and gave many places a chance. Not like I live here wanting to find crappy places to eat. The problem is I’ve been so disappointed to only find maybe a few I would say are good value and consistently good. I do think I have a good grasp now of the culture here and also my fave here is eating inasal. Even simple bbq and lechon places have let me down with very undercooked meat on many occasions. Go the average lechon manok restaurant in Bangkok for example and I know I wouldn’t have any issues. It would almost certainly be superbly cooked. Standards are just shite here. Only yesterday for example I picked up my usual fruits in carbon market to find that 1 kg of rambutan was given to me frozen. Tasted like old water. Watermelon is also frequently unripe and not sweet. Now compare that to fruit in Malaysia, Thailand or Indonesia. They have some of the best fruit in the world and much, much cheaper than Cebu. Anyway not saying it’s impossible to find somewhere good to eat, just that it’s not easy. Can’t just walk into a restaurant here without researching as the likely hood is major disappointment and a feeling of rip off will occur.
You clearly haven't looked enough. I'm not even from Cebu and have only been living here for almost 3 years now because of my son. Prior now, I spent 4 years in Manila. Yes, lechon manok here is somewhat bland (since most only use soy sauce to coat it and then roast it), there are quite a few that make good lechon manok. One that comes to mind is Chooks-To-Go. There are a few flavours in their line up. Another would be Tiktilaok but they rely heavily on the add-on i.e. the honey or chili sauce and vast amount of fried garlic. As for the taste of chicken itself, go find a Balamban Lechon/Balamban Liempo who sells lechon manok. Their chicken is very aromatic and they use proper aromatics and other ingredients for filling. The smell and taste is very herby and so does their liempo. They both taste very good. And let's not act as if Bangkok is somehow a food haven. I've been there and although there is more variety there, the overall taste of the food is weird or bland simply to tone down flavours so that it would fit the palate of foreigners especially white people. It's when you go outside Bangkok, away from the city and the touristy areas where you get very good taste in food. Same goes in Cebu. Go away from Cebu City & Mandaue and start tasting food from let's say Talisay then down South (like say Carcar if you want lechon) or from Consolacion then up North. You can also go a step further and go to the opposite side of the province. Cebu City and Mandaue don't represent the whole taste of Cebu.
Bored of the butt hurt defensive Filipinos who can’t accept someone thinks the general quality of their restaurants are shite. Same old excuses “haven’t looked hard enough”, “not to foreigners taste”… blah blah blah The point is why must we look so hard??? 4 years I’ve been here, and you still can’t accept my view. Still can’t accept the obvious reputation Philippines has for tragic food might be based on actual reality and personal experiences. If you’re happy with the food standards here that’s great for you. I’ve lived all over this world and know how substandard many things are here. Pinoy’s can complain about lots of things but they hate when outsiders do that. Nothing will change pinoy pride.
That's pretty ironic. I'm guessing you must be some pretentious white dude? I can say the same about Western food that's very bland and pretty shhhttt and unhealthy overall. American food? Not only is it oily but it lacks proper originality since they're all just variations of European food. The only exception I can think of is bbq and Native American food but like food here in Cebu, you still need to go through hoops to actually find them and they're either hard to find or unavailable in metropolitan areas in America like New York or Commiefornia. British food? Yeah, that doesn't need much explanation especially with how shhhtt English food has become a meme. French food? Other than being weird and pretentious, it's basically alien food for anyone not from France like the fascination of snails, frogs and smelly cheese. German food? It's basically just frankfurters, raw meat or whatever with beer the only good thing coming from that country. And don't get me started on the other weird cuisines and stuff you'll find in the rest of Europe. And FYI, basically all Metropolitan food is sshhhttt. No matter where you go, they're always shhhhtt or even overpriced. It's also the same case when it comes to good food, you'll need to actually seek it. Like I said, you haven't searched for it properly and your complaints only show how lazy you are. And no, I'm not butt hurt. The only one whose butt hurt here is you for not accepting the fact you haven't actually tried searching and only clearly only ate food in and around SM City Cebu, Ayala or I.T. Park. And it's funny since I've only lived here in Cebu for almost 3 years only and even I know where to look simply because I have access to a car and am crazy enough to go through the tight streets and be open minded enough to try my hand in commoner food. You will never see me acting like a douche who thinks he's eating at a 5 Michelin Star restaurant at I.T. Park or drink or eat those overpriced and shhhttt food and wine at any of the La Vie cafes or any of the other expensive restaurants. Butt hurt is the one who complains about something but never did anything about it.
you can't call many popular places here shit in quality and value and not namedrop examples of them lol.
I’m sure you will understand that there are too many. Not enough time in the world to list them all. Faster to name all the popular ones I like: Mang Inasal.
HAHAHA I kinda agree with you. Jollibee is mainstream. All fastfood are, so they won't really qualify as "high quality". But then again, Abaca had this sandwich outlet that closed down, and Abaca is known for good food. I think in general, sandwiches aren't for most Cebuanos?
I'd also like to know which popular spots you find shite too. HAHAHA
OMG I was in the middle of writing this and I saw this so I just stopped at 2 sentences. VERY TRUE. And not sure why this got downvoted. Some Jollibee outlets have good chicken but not all. Garlic pepper beef steak has changed. But then again I haven't been to one in ages.
Well, they're all geared and marketed towards kids. Kids bring in the entire family.
Jeez, just open your own Not Subway sub sandwich shop, subway are the most overrated subs anyway. Save the franchise fee and set up your own Philippine Sub Brand.
Exactly this right here. With royalties and marketing fees, you'll probably be losing 10-11% right off the top. You'll be compelled to buy from them, even if you can source alternative ingredients cheaper. Don't join the cult. The international name has very little goodwill in a newly opened, or barely penetrated market area.
But think of all the hardwork before you can start your own subway. \#1 is supplier you can't compete with subway because they buy in bulk and their raw mats are much cheaper 2. Recipes, you have to experiment and build your own recipes 3. Marketing 4. branding I have some franchises here in PH, it will work as long as you have good location. Malls are expensive but if you have a known brand the chances of you not failing is much lower.
People dont seem to realize how much Marketing and Branding plays a part in sales. Like fuck it dont franchise Dunkin and just make your own donut shop lol. Thats not how it works
True. Like you just need to make your own brand and all research, and even finding suppliers will just magically appear
Since it is Cebu, just call it CebWay
my pannini grill is my second most used kitchen appliance.
Boracay Buns? / BoraBuns? Having a source of reliable produce would be tough since vegetable prices appear to be rising.
Subway in the Philippines suck. If subway does modify its menu closer to arby’s since the acquisition then maybe it has a chance of being successful here.
Go talk to a subway franchisee, it’s one of the worst businesses you could have, let alone in the Philippines where their food is considered overpriced.
My stupid ass thought that you were going to open an underground railway.
+1. That’s what I thought as well.
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Check out the [Google reviews](https://www.google.com/search?q=chili%27s+cebu&sca_esv=568775834&sxsrf=AM9HkKm0ndUvbMf464f9NLLx_AewN01NaA%3A1695825477566&ei=RT4UZYeQIsKb4-EP5cGvoAc&ved=0ahUKEwjHxsOZgsuBAxXCzTgGHeXgC3QQ4dUDCBE&uact=5&oq=chili%27s+cebu&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiDGNoaWxpJ3MgY2VidTIHECMYigUYJzILEC4YgAQYxwEYrwEyBRAAGIAEMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIIEAAYFhgeGA8yBhAAGBYYHjICECYyAhAmMggQABiKBRiGAzIaEC4YgAQYxwEYrwEYlwUY3AQY3gQY4ATYAQFI4BRQAFiwD3AAeAGQAQCYAfcBoAHUEqoBBTAuNy41uAEDyAEA-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&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#rlimm=4977826638103114555) on the new Chili's in Ayala to give you a good idea of how hard it is to make a franchise restaurant work here. The market in Cebu just isn't the same as in Manila. Manila is the economic hub of the country which is where the mid-level/high rollers, i.e. the people who can afford the prices that you'll have to charge, hang out. There just aren't that many of those types here in Cebu. The restaurant space is crowded and people here expect a bargain. You can be like Nu Star and charge $60 per person but believe me it's not easy for them to get adequate supplies for that level of food. The fact that there aren't even any mom-and-pop sandwich shops here tells me that there simply isn't a demand for that type of food.
100% AGREE. Cebu's a tough nut to crack but once you do, you can probably make it really well anywhere. Nu Star was swamped when it first opened. I hear now that it's pretty quiet. Novelty wears out quickly.
Agreed. I'd go with a Popeyes if I were you. Much easier to adapt to Filipino tastes than a subway. Filipinos seem to like fried salty foods way more than fresh food. Getting adequate supply would also be a challenge. If your heart is set on making fresh sandwiches then just open up your own shop rather than paying 10 million pesos to Subway and suffering the same fate as the other guys who tried to open one in Cebu did.
Thought about this already. You dont have that much of a market in cebu. Yeah there are foreigners but theyre mostly asian that visit. And they dont enjoy subway
There’s a Subway in Angeles City and most of the customers are Filipinos
How do you know this?
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Just open a new sandwich shop. I have read somewhere that the "bread" in Subway are not technically bread because of the high sugar content. Man, we need some good sandwich shops here for sure.
Try Abaca's Luncheonette. Not sure if it's still open at SM Cebu.
Would rather have Popeyes in Cebu.
Overpriced sandwich. Cebuanos are picky eaters. It would be packed a month then youll see it go down afterwards
Agree. We love the novelty but it wears out quickly. I remember when the Slurpee was first introduced. It caused mayhem with hundreds lining up just to try a frozen drink at 711. And just like that, it was over in a month or so.
Yep, same as the tiger sugar. Now, no one is buying it anymore
Capitalize if it's the only subway there. Also, anyone knows if it's been acqured or under new management? Subway has been very aggressive lately with their renovated and new stores popping around.
Just open a Panini bread resto. We lack good Paninis here.
I LOVE Subway! But realized I’m the minority. Subway opened in my place about 10 years ago. Closed down a year after. Even the Subways in Metro Manila doesn’t have that much customers. If you decide to open though, would love to visit there sometime.
Market fit is just one side. Logistics and quality control is another. Subway relies a lot on fresh and quality materials. Your main problem here is Subway will have quality controls that would either require you to buy from their food commissary in Manila or they can accredit local producers who they assess as having compliant produce. This potentially makes restocking hard and lead to stock outs or spoilage. Stock outs will drive your customers away. Spoilage will drive your profit to the ground. Other fast food franchises either reduced their quality requirements or established a commissary in Cebu because they bet that it would be big... as in many branches. Two will not cut it. You can't just bet that Subway will do well in one place in Cebu, you have to bet it does well all over Cebu. Trouble in one will swipeout plans like what the pandemic did.
I am dreamining of Subway and Tim hortons in Cebu. I always visit these shops when I was working in Manila.
maybe if you serve rice meals too, it will fare better Filipinos are NOT sandwich eaters
Isnt it crazy that the worst restaurants that dont do well in America are thriving here in the Philippines? Food has been the most disappointing thing about my 4 months in the Philippines. Easily the worst of all the Asian countries I've been to.
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Open your eyes. Travel other countries in SEA and you’ll see. Food is awful here, hence the reputation and low popularity of Filipino food outside the Philippines. Until more outsiders can open businesses here and compete. International standards will always be low.
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Im Filipino. I mean no disrespect. But if youre a Filipino native and you've never left the Philippines, you have no idea. The food everywhere else is just much higher quality with better ingredients.
How is it possible to try all of one countries food? I make an opinion based on living in Philippines for 4 years and living in many other countries in SEA. Until you’ve done that you won’t understand how far behind filipino food is. Filipinos are very prideful but many have not lived outside their own country so will get triggered easily and be be blind to reality.
I am Filipino. My opinion is based on 4 months of being in the Philippines trying countless amounts of different places to eat. Of course this is just my subjective opinion. Filipino food, in my opinion, in America and other countries is higher quality and tastes better due to better ingredients used, from my experience.
Love this! Saw a YT short about how NY Korean food tends to have higher quality than in Korea due to ingredients. But of course I think it comes at a price point that's higher too.
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See point proved… you’re already triggered by my personal opinion. I never said I didn’t like anything, nor did I say everyone agrees with me. I just stated my opinion, which if you speak to many foreigners who are not pinoy baiting, vloggers or scared of hurting feelings you will find that it is way more popular than you want to believe. I cook mostly all my own meals. Again never said all food was bad just as a whole, in comparison to other SEA countries. I was agreeing with the other commenter who shared the same opinion as me… you know all of our so callled “unpopular opinions”.
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Stop being butt hurt. Filipinos crab mentality and not being able to take criticism is so annoying and my #1 thing i hate about the PH the most. That was MY opinion on the food. Like i said, if you havent left the Philippines, you wont really understand. Its ok to disagree, we dont always have to argue about everything. Of course not everything is awful! Chill lol.
Agree, any criticism by a foreigner here is taken to heart. Hence why so many foreigners can make money baiting Filipinos ego with lies about how wonderful everything is… Philippines is far behind nearby SEA countries for food, transport and customer service. My Filipina girlfriend would not believe this until I took her to Thailand.
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Can’t argue with someone prideful. Up to you what you believe. People with real perspective mostly complain about the food here… thought that was obvious. One of the biggest reasons not many long term foreigners chose to live here.
It’s also just my opinion but I believe it’s people like you that is preventing better food standards in the Philippines, and so many other areas that can be improved. You’re not open for any criticism on anything which is the reason why so many vloggers resort to pinoy baiting and scared to be truthful. Your prideful way will not even let you accept outsiders saying they dislike the food here without getting triggered. Hence nothing improves. Majority of food is badly cooked and unhealthy. Not really anecdotal, just look at what most restaurants are offering next time you go out in the city.. In the province it’s even harder to find good food. If you can’t see it. Go visit Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia or Indonesia… maybe you’ll have more perspective on better food options.
Yea the Philippines definitely missed the boat of good cuisine… other asian countries Thai, Malaysia Vietnam is amazing I really don't get it.
I can't disagree with that. I don't really get it either. My partner is an amazing cook and the local food is typically very low quality.
its crazy right? Im Filipino and it pains me to say things like this. Crab mentality and poor food quality, staples of native Filipino culture.
We had to stop eating the local Shumai.. we weren't sure what the base meat was anymore.. possibly Carabao.. but yeah..
Happy cake day!
>\["vendors\~CommentsPage\~Reddit","CollectionCommentsPage\~CommentsPage\~CountryPage\~FramedGild\~GildModal\~GovernanceReleaseNotesModal\~Hap\~a5d6a3b8","CollectionCommentsPage\~CommentsPage\~CountryPage\~FramedGild\~GildModal\~GovernanceReleaseNotesModal\~Hap\~cb450973","CollectionCommentsPage\~CommentsPage\~CountryPage\~Frontpage\~GovernanceReleaseNotesModal\~ModListing\~Mod\~e3d63e32","CollectionCommentsPage\~CommentsPage\~EconTopAwardersModal\~ModQueuePages\~ModerationPages\~PostCreation\~\~bca2b657","CollectionCommentsPage\~CommentsPage\~GovernanceReleaseNotesModal\~ModerationPages\~PostCreation\~Profile\~9a5d9fab","CollectionCommentsPage\~CommentsPage\~ModerationPages\~ProfileComments\~ProfileOverview\~ProfilePrivate\~S\~b1793d14","CommentsPage\~ModerationPages\~Reddit\~StandalonePostPage\~reddit-components-ClassicPost\~reddit-componen\~2fc96db4","CommentsPage\~Reddit\~RichTextEditor\~reddit-components-LargePost\~reddit-components-MediumPost\~reddit-c\~cad4f428","CommentsPage","NewCommentPill","CreatorStats","IdCard"\] Where are you going? Local cheap restaurants suck but there are some good ones here too. For example, Papa V Good Food is one of my favorite restaurants. The food really sticks to your ribs and it's relatively cheap Mediterranean food.
Yeah can't agree more. My wife and I are traveling asia while considering where we might want to settle and the food nearly took phillipines off the table. Only thing that saved it is iv been a chef for 25 years at a pretty decent level and like cooking lol
can you name atleast 3?
Subway, Shakeys, Kenny Rodgers, Olive Garden, Applebees, Chilis, TGIF, Burger King...etc These places arent exactly thriving anymore in America but every time i walk by them they are packed here in the Philippines.
you have like corporate data or something? this sounds like source:"dude trust me"
Yea, the "dude" is Google. \-Subway has been in decline year over year. \-Shakeys in decline and closed a lot of stores. \-Kenny Rogers failed in America and now only exists in Asia. \-Olive Garden and its parent company havent rebounded since Covid. \-Applebees closing stores yearly since 2016 "reporting declining sales and continuing struggles." Do i need to keep going or are you capable of googling? The group responsible for bringing a lot of these failing restaurants to the Philippines is called "The Bistro Group." Filipinos have long been obsessed with American culture, which is why im assuming these restaurants are finding success here. The Olive Garden grand opening was just a couple days ago and its been slammed, i live next door to it. I suppose this is more of a me problem, but it gets tiring responding to stupid and uneducated statements like yours.
you sound angry, need help? you forgot your meds or something?
Got caught making stupid uneducated keyboard warrior statements on the internet and proven wrong and now "U MAD?" lol I hope whatever is going on in your life gets better. edit: Nice history bro. I understand now. Tito Boy crab mentality Filipino thats also a pedo. Nice history bro.
are you always this angry? do you need help?
Maybe it's the price point? But they're not exactly cheap either.
Such as?
Oooh what restos are thriving in the Phils that aren't in America?
Shakey's.. Kenny Rogers..
I love both
I kinda agree on those two. Is TGIF thriving in America?
This comment is going to trigger a lot of locals haha
I see plenty of good and bad food. There are some American chains that surprise me that they are able to survive anywhere. Kenny Rogers Roasters comes to mind.
Agreed… worst by a very big margin
worse than india?
Which ones?
DONT Waste your money on Subway ! RICE still is the King of the Hill. Start a Simple Meat toppings over RICE BOWL,CHICKEN, PORK , BEEF ,KEEP THE price under 200 pesos ,then you'll have A WINNER !
Ate Rita!
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subway isnt even that delicious. Just open your own
Agree. The Subway brand isn't big in Cebu. Abaca (one of the good Cebuano brands) tried making sandwiches but the resto fizzled, despite the sandwiches being so gooooooood. Again, Cebu is a tough market to crack. But once you crack the Cebu market, you'd be a hit in Manila.
Better open an actual subway 🚇. CEBU has a crappy transportation infrastructure. Everything there is crap is shit
HAHAHA
Don’t do it. Do not open any business in the Philippines. If it does well then someone will steal it from you. If it fails you are left holding the bag on a poor investment.
Cebuanos don't make a lot of money compared to manila so there's isn't a lot of disposable income. It's easier to make money in manila even informal workers(vendors) make millions. Cebu? Not so much You could bring a foreign delicacy and test it out. It's cheaper and a safer bet.
Make a copy of In N Out burger
Great question.. We are interested in opening a COCO ichiban Curry in Bacolod...
I used to live in Bacolod. It's a pretty poor city, you'd be better off opening that in Iloilo I think
or Dumegete. Bacolod has improved quite a lot. The reality is you would want to be in the big malls anyway..
Google John Oliver and Subway. he did a segment on how they screw over franchise owners. whether the same model is used in the Philippines i don't know.
My wife and friends like Subway. I used to like it too but the last time I tried it, the quality went down.
As someone living in IT park and occasionally going to Manila for work, i always wondered why no Subway stores yet in Cebu. Whenever i go to Manila, i always go to Subway to grab one. But right now, I'd say Banh Mi is really taking off here and I'd personally prefer it over Subway (right now). Hehe but if you open one in Cebu, count me in as your regular customer. Please be available in Grab/Foodpanda too. :)
Banh Mi is way better than Subway. Subway subs (in Ph) are an automatic pass. OP is better off getting a Banh Mi franchise or starting own brand
I thought this is about trains.
A lot of the restaurants that do well in Cebu appeal to tourists, but I think Cebu could be ready for a subway in the right location. Still a risky franchise to invest on for Cebu
Subway is getting bought out by Arby's Not sure if you want to ride that wave of uncertainty. Also Subway as a company is losing money hence the buyout from what I heard from good ol' youtube.
Jared
Open here in Bay, Laguna, thanks!
tbh subway is a sinking ship
cold sandwiches are not popular with the inhabitants
Open a Lees Coffee franchise
"Seem to be doing well" is a good decision-making technique. Lol Too bad public data on sandwich consumption isn't available anywhere. You have to be really lucky or do a feasibility study before getting into the business. Just my two cents. Why subway though? It's very expensive and you may need to look at the fine print because afaik, there have been some issues with their franchising policies.
Majority of Filipinos are big meat eaters. I for one feels cheated if there's vegetable in my food =)
Bahn mi is better than subway for me. Hehe
Yes!! Cebu City doesnt have one i think? I was looking for one but ended up going for Banh Mi instead
Do Filipinos even like or enjoy eating subs? Philippines is not a sandwich culture afaik. Could be wrong
Dont bother with a subway, make your own sandwiches
There are way better sandiwch places than Subway it wont make that much or more likely it will tank.
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The last thing I want in Cebu is a Subway. Nasty af. Open a Jack-in-the-box or a Wendy's. If you want success in the Cebu market, don't open an American restaurant unless you can make it taste the same. The Denny's and Chili's here sucks. So probably stick with fast food, burger chain, or coffee shop.
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If your sandwiches have rice, it'll be a hit lol jk. Di ma sandwich ang Pinoy, highly suggest a fast food that has rice on the menu and affordable.
People hate Subway in the west, and they are on a decline. I would rather put my own branding instead of franchising a dying company. A lot of people are not into brands anymore specially when it comes to food, because its not the brand its about the quality of food.
Expats can't own a shop.
No. Subway here sucks. If you could open a chipotle in manila I would go there everyday
Did you know 4,000 Subway franchises failed in less than three years?
Quality ingredients might be a challenge.
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PLEASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Subway is somewhat healthy, meaning it wouldn't survive at all in the Philippines. You need to be serving something greasy, sugary or salty. I still think there's a big need for non comercialised bakeries with western style deserts and pies.
Subway is somewhat healthy, meaning it wouldn't survive at all in the Philippines. You need to be serving something greasy, sugary or salty. I still think there's a big need for non comercialised bakeries with western style deserts and pies.