Where customers are always honored guests

MANILA, Philippines - The Bistro Group of Restaurants has been building business through a two-pronged approach: serving high-quality and delicious food and treating customers like honored guests. This maxim is reflected in and practiced in all its international franchises, namely T.G.I.Friday’s, Italianni’s and Fish & Co., as well as in its homegrown restaurant concepts Billy Rock and Pig Out.

At the helm of Bistro’s kitchen is corporate executive chef George Lizares. Having been schooled here and in Europe and trained in global venues, chef George is hands-on in his approach to operations and is driven by the desire to serve delicious food. To accomplish this, he uses the best ingredients and conducts intensive and continuous “food immersion training” for chefs and kitchen personnel.

“Chefs are also taught food preparation, food styling, plate presentation and most especially, the ability   to focus on two things: a delicious taste profile and proper management. We drive chefs to cook great-tasting food. That is, after all, Bistro’s ‘raison d’etre,’” chef George explains.

The commitment to cleanliness and sanitation is paramount in the Bistro kitchens. Systems are in place for maintaining high levels of hygiene. Regular inspections ensure that ingredients are served in the most favorable conditions. Monitoring is done at all stages — from raw materials to finished products. Chef George sees to it that these procedures are strictly implemented.

The Bistro Group, which started operating over 15 years ago with the opening of the first T.G.I. Friday’s Restaurant in Glorietta 3, has grown by leaps and bounds. There are now11 T.G.I.Friday’s, 13 Italianni’s, five Fish & Co. and four Flapjacks outlets located in Metro Manila and three provincial branches (Italianni’s and Pig Out in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa and T.G.I Friday’s in Ayala Center Cebu).

“We will continue to grow our business by opening new concepts, adding branches to existing restaurants and   refurbishing some of our outlets. These are all part of the dynamism that characterizes the Bistro Group,” says Amy Palisoc, director for business development. “The necessity to keep abreast of the needs and wants of our market requires novelty in our restaurants.”

Krazy Garlik in Greenbelt 5 offers the best garlic recipes from around the globe; more concepts including an American tavern are in the works.

“Listening to guests’ comments also takes priority because it is our guests who brought us to where we are,” says Lisa Ronquillo, director for marketing. “We regularly introduce new products for variety. Bistro also has the BFF or the Bistro Frequent Foodie, a membership card where a 20-percent discount is given upon cardholders’ dining in at any of the Bistro restaurants on top of other privileges. Another program that we will introduce is the Bistro eGC, a prepaid electronic gift card which is used for payment at any Bistro Group establishment using a BPI POS terminal,” Ronquillo explains. “This offers more value to our guests and keeps us updated on trends and technology.”