Sugbo Mercado brings street food to mallgoers

CEBU, Philippines — True to its mission in providing an incubation facility to micro businesses, the Sugbo Mercado Food Bazaar Inc.,(SMFBI) is bringing ambulant vendors into the shopping mall market.

Through the introduction of its newest food bazaar brand, “Streetfood by Sugbo,”, the company is gathering together some of the famous street food concepts in Cebu in one venue, and in a high-traffic location.

Located in a pocket garden in between Ayala Center Cebu’s Active Zone and Insular Life Building, the Streetfood by Sugbo will be the company’s third food market brand, joining the Sugbo Mercado and The Market.

“What differentiates this from Sugbo Mercado and The Market is that we are primarily offering streetfood items,” said Michael Karlo Lim, the company’s marketing director.

Lim said the newest food bazaar brought not only its loyal food tenants but also provided spaces for ambulant vendors to sell ready-to-eat food items usually peddled in the streets like taho, peanut, fishball, squid ball and tempura, balot, and others.

“We have tenants who are literally from the street. They come in and out, like the taho vendor who comes in later in the day,” said Lim in a press briefing.

The sphere shaped space houses 17 tenants. Four more booths are expected to open next month.

Aside from providing the mall goers with affordable, yet decent street food spread, the food bazaar is also seen to draw tourists to easily access the local food street treat, as part of every tourist itinerary; to taste the [Cebu] culture.

Homegrown brand that are now joining the street food circle include; Bertos Hababan (by Viriginia Farms employees); side walk vendor Fruit Ville, Ali Mango, Sisig Bar, Melton (Halo-Halo), Manok Bisayas Atbp., Azul Tuslob Buwa, Balot sa Nigo, and Seabu (owned by seafood suppliers from Bantayan Island), among others.

The Streetfood opens from 12 noon to 12 midnight.

SMFBI is one of the pioneers and longest running food bazaar operators in Cebu. It is instrumental in helping start-up and home-based “foodtrepreneurs” to access the mainstream market in almost five years.