MANILA, Philippines — Standard Hospitality Group (SHG) marks a major milestone in its expansion journey with the launch of Yabu: House of Katsu's expanded flagship store in Power Plant Mall, Makati City.
This reopening of Yabu's 21st location, now 50% larger, reinforces SHG's ambitious vision to grow its network from its current 45 stores to 100 locations within five years.
"Our goal is to set the standard in the restaurant scene, and this expanded flagship store represents our commitment to that vision," shares John Concepcion, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Hospitality Group. "As we continue to grow, we're focused on elevating the casual dining experience while maintaining the quality that has made Yabu the country's leading Katsu brand."
The expanded Rockwell location addresses the high demand at one of Yabu's busiest stores while showcasing the brand's evolution.
According to Concepcion, they decided to expand the store after noticing that guests kept on falling in line at the former smaller restaurant. So when the opportunity came in to open a bigger store, they grabbed it.
“So this location is 50% bigger, and on top of that we want to bring out the new look,” he said in a statement.
“We opened this location or this in this mall, in 2014, so that's 11 years, right? And not a very big location, but we have to get Rockwell. And the lines were just waiting…” he recalled during his speech at the restaurant’s reopening.
The significantly larger space features upgraded kitchen facilities, contemporary design elements, and new staff uniforms that reflect the brand's continued innovation in the casual dining sector.
“I joined the company about two years on my background. I was really excited about the idea of how we can redefine what Katsu is,” SHG Creative Director Michael Concepcion said in his speech.
“Design is a really important to us. It's part of the experience. So I'm just looking at a lot of attention. So the molds are a little bit unique to us. We wanted to push the boundaries of what the people actually call the proper restaurant while staying true to what we felt made the gap. The goal is simple, a space that feels warm, familiar, and built to last just like our people.”
According to him, one of the key features of this space is the master cups, which guests could see along the walls and along the ceilings.
“This is something that we really wanted to accentuate and bring forward. The master cup was originally a tool for measuring rice in Japan, but over time, it became a symptom of celebration. We've always been fascinated by it, using it on our walls, our appetizers will soon be launched, a new dessert… but it's a small but meaningful way to tie tradition into the experience. So that's something we're really proud of and you'll see in the frontage,” he announced.
“We've also kept something that's been true to since day one, our Manga panels over there. They're part of our story and a nod to the playful and childlike culture behind what we do, recognizing our, our work, the biggest audience at Yabu is kids, and kids always come here and tell their parents that I really want to go to Yabu, so that's a nod to that,” he said.
“So this project is a true collaboration, I just want to quickly thank our architect and the team!”
“What changes are there when we reopen the big one here is a bigger seating capacity… So that's the big one here and then it's just our 2.0 design. It's a better design, as Michael said, better lighting. We're trying to use kind of like wood and stone, make it make it more timeless,” John expounded in a Philstar.com exclusive interview.
“So what we're saying those are massive cups, right? So that's the way of measuring rice then. So look at those master cups. That's very important to us. You box to measure rice when you buy rice, yeah, that's the Japanese version. Then at a manga panel, first… it talks about a small boy learning from the master how to make a food capsule. So we try to keep the old pieces, but in a more modern, minimalistic way.”
Alongside the enhanced dining space, Yabu Rockwell introduces the exclusive Crispy Katsudon – a masterful creation featuring crispy Katsu on silky Tamagoyaki omelette, generously coated in rich Donburi sauce and served on premium Japanese rice. The menu also highlights the popular new Kurobuta while maintaining Yabu's signature unlimited Teishoku experience.
“I just had a Crispy Katsu. I really like it right now. I like the egg and then the Crispy Katsu,” John told Philstar.com during the interview.
The reopening is part of SHG's broader 2025 expansion strategy, which includes 12 new store openings across its portfolio of premium casual dining concepts. Under Concepcion's leadership, who brings over 35 years of experience building market-leading brands, SHG continues to grow its Japanese dining concepts including Ippudo, Kiwami (featuring Yabu, Ippudo, Koyo, Hannosuke, Hachibei, and Hokkaido Soft Cream), and specialty café Elephant Grounds.
"Even as we pursue aggressive growth, our commitment to quality remains unwavering," John said in a statement. "Each new location and menu innovation is carefully crafted to deliver the authentic Japanese dining experience our guests have come to expect."
“You'll see the SHG promise which is a reminder of the standard we hold ourselves to everything right since day one. We've made a commitment that if anyone is unhappy with their experience at any point at all, the meal is free, no questions asked,” Michael said in his speech.
“This is just the beginning. We'll be rolling out this next generation Yabu experiences and more locations soon and we actually can't wait to try!”