The great thing was that the extensive breakfast fare could be ordered all day. So on more than one occasion we’d find ourselves having waffles at midnight. Which brings to mind a joke by standup comedian Steven Wright, who said he went to a restaurant that had a sign that read: We serve breakfast at any time. "So I went inside and ordered an omelet during the Renaissance Period."
So when Country Waffles branches began closing one after the other early this year, it was back to one-minute, no-egg-needed, tastes-like-cardboard pancakes for my husband. He has the propensity for cooking quick midnight snacks and getting flak from me for buying food packs with the label "just add water."
For him and loyal patrons of Country Waffles, the good news is that it is open once again in Greenhills – this time under a new company and with a set of new owners.
But first, let’s set the record straight in what’s probably the decade’s biggest food industry scandal. Last January, business sections of newspapers and entertainment media reported that Bert and Carol Nievera, master franchisees of Country Waffles in the Philippines, had skipped town on Christmas Eve leaving behind a trail of debts with food suppliers and mall operators, and with shocked investors holding an empty bag. Like most restaurant chains, Country Waffles had different groups of investors for each branch including entrepreneurs and showbiz personalities.
The biggest investor was businessman, traveler and gourmet Manolo Samson, who owns the Itti and Caterpillar shoe chains which have over 100 stores nationwide. He had invested a staggering amount of money in Country Waffles branches in Rockwell, Greenhills, Eastwood City and Bohol Avenue. Even before rumors began circulating last year and the scandal broke in January this year, he had wanted to pull out of the restaurant because the Nieveras weren’t holding stockholders’ or directors’ meetings – a routine procedure for any company. Two other investors of different branches were interviewed by media saying not one quarterly or annual financial report was given them – again, a must for any business, especially one that has different sets of investors. Manolo has remained quiet all this time and has not filed charges in court to this day. Off the record, he told me how much he lost (needless to say, I nearly fell off my chair), but he remains positive when he says, "In fairness to Carol and Bert Nievera, they’re good at setting up business – look at Bubba Gump and Hard Rock Café."
Being a third-generation shoemaker, Manolo refuses to throw in the towel. "A good businessman never gives up, he just goes on working hard as he used to. But the second time around, he thinks twice about the people he would trust. If you get angry, kung sasama lang ang loob mo, walang mangyayari."
Not given to being passive, however, Manolo and his friend of 20 years Melo Galvez went to the US and talked with Country Waffles about continuing the restaurant in the Philippines. They were given a provisionary franchise and so two weeks ago they opened Country Waffles on Annapolis St. in Greenhills, the same location that was padlocked when the Nieveras fled.
Melo Galvez says, "The lot owner was owed something like P4.2 million in terms of back rental. We just negotiated with him again. We practically had to rebuild the kitchen because it was destroyed. When we went to the US, we told the owner of Country Waffles that Manolo had lost a lot of money here but we were still interested to operate and be the master franchisee this time. If there’s anything good about the trouble, it’s that it had nothing to do with the customers – it still had a lot of loyal patrons who were looking for the restaurant."
You can say Manolo Samson is starting from scratch again in the food business. This time, it’s doubly hard because suppliers who were owed money were hesitant to resume business with Country Waffles.
"We cannot keep carrying the Nievera baggage," says Melo. "Unfortunately up to now we’re encountering suppliers na may utang sila. Even if we show them documents that this is a new company, they’d say, tinamaan kami e. Before we started the new company, we approached the old investors if they wanted to join us. They said no."
With the new company, Fresno Waffles Corporation, Manolo put his son Otto Von Samson in charge of purchasing and his other children Marzo, Mia and Kristel as directors. Of his kids, Von is the one involved in the day-to-day operations of the restaurant. A management graduate of Ateneo, Von is enthusiastic about the challenges he’s facing. "It’s something new," he says. "As kids, we started helping out in the shoe factory when we were young. Daddy wanted us to learn the process of manufacturing shoes early, even if it was just to make the boxes. At seven years old our playground was the factory."
It’s understandable that for Von, waffles aren’t very different from shoes. "If a customer buys a pair of shoes from you and then he goes home and finds out it’s not very good, he won’t come back to buy from your store again. It’s the same with food, the quality has to be high always, the experience of dining in a restaurant should be pleasant."
As a customer of the old Country Waffles, Von knew the menu pretty well and what people wanted, and so when they opened again, they changed the menu and lowered the prices from 10 to 30 percent. "Before, you would spend between P300 and P400, now you can have it for P200 to P300. Of course, the quality is still there – that’s one thing you can never compromise."
Chef Anton Abad, formerly a sous chef at the Manila Polo Club and a graduate of Gene Gonzalez’s Center for Asian Culinary, added one of his specialties on the menu: Kansas City-style Baby Back Ribs (P395), tender pork ribs marinated with sweet and smoky barbecue sauce served with baked potatoes on the side. In just a week, it’s become one of the most popular items on the new menu, alongside old favorites like Big Daddy Steak (P575), 14 oz. Australian prime rib served with carrots, asparagus spears, baked potato and bourbon sauce, chicken caesar salad (P170), salpicao (P175), and Chorizo Fritto (P120), sliced chorizo Pamplona sautéed in olive oil and brandy.
"Even in Country Waffles abroad, they have steaks, so it’s a similar menu except for the Filipino dishes," says Melo, who adds that the American owner of the company went to the opening of the restaurant two weeks ago.
Waffles and pancakes, of course, are still the main attraction, perhaps because you have so much choice when it comes to the toppings. There’s the caramel banana pecan (P185) and blueberry (P165), the bestsellers, mango (P165), cinnamon apple (P185), strawberry (P185) and my personal favorite – peanut butter and bananas (P185). I love the last so much that my husband has accused me of being too predictable. If you like them the way Uncle Jeb first invented country waffles in Arkansas, you can have it plain (P85) with strips of bacon, sausages or eggs. Chef Anton Abad promises that there will be a lot more pancake concoctions in the future.
The restaurant’s breakfast fare also includes traditional Filipino meals served with two eggs, such as pork tocino (P160), longganisa (P160), corned beef or Spam, smoked boneless bangus (P180). American choices include eggs benedict served with country potato (P140), french toast with blueberry topping (P120) and three different kinds of skillets (Cajun, Western and Mexicali) and four kinds of omelets (Denver, Fresh Garden, Country Sunrise, and Cheese). Pastas and sandwiches also cater to all tastes, from those wanting vegetarian fare (grilled sandwich with zucchini, tomato and eggplant, P110) to semi-vegetarian (penne puttanesca, P175) to meat lovers (spaghetti bolognese, P165).
Drinks aren’t limited to soft drinks and juices either. You can have aperitifs, vodka, rhum, tequila, liqueur, and beer. Mostly, however, customers like the thick cold shakes and fresh juices.
The owners want the menu to change every now and then by including monthly specials. "By July, we’re also hoping to start Sunday family buffets for brunch on the second floor," says Manolo.
It is a big place, after all, with its American country design. The ground floor can seat 114 people and 150 for the second floor, perfect for private parties, receptions and conferences. They’ve also put an air-conditioned play area for kids, which has a PlayStation and mini slides and playhouse. On the grassy front lawn they’re thinking of setting up a putting green for mini-golf.
Working hard has been a way of life for Manolo Samson. Even when he was a child and his parents were already running a successful shoe business, he was taught to respect the value of money and to work for every cent.
During vacations, he and his twin brother Manuel, and siblings Carmelita and Danilo would help in the factory. "Pinagugupit kami ng sinulid at gumagawa kami ng plastic na lagayan ng tsinelas."
In Marikina, Manolo is known as "Payat" and his identical twin Manuel is "Taba," nicknames they got when they were young kids. Mention the names Manolo and Manuel Samson to any shoemaker in Marikina and they will refer to the brothers as "Payat" and "Taba." To one who doesn’t know them, this may sound irreverent or even disrespectful, but Manolo just laughs and says, "That’s what people call us until now."
Manolo and his wife Lenita, who’s the treasurer for both their shoe business and Fresno Waffles Corp. and therefore "the real boss" according to him, also trained their children early. Fourth-generation shoemakers Marzo, Von, Mia and Kristel were "obligated to help in the factory until they reached high school and college." After college, eldest son Marzo studied shoemaking at the Ars Sutoria in Milan, Italy. Marzo has also visited practically all major shoe factories in Europe and Asia. He and his sister Kristel now manage the Caterpillar shoe stores. Mia manages the Itti chain and Von heads the purchasing department for the entire company. Von describes part of their training as being exposed to the trade fairs abroad, particularly the biggest one in the US, which is held in Las Vegas.
Von says, "After college we all worked for the business. As we grew older, we got to know more about the process and about managing a company. When it comes to shoes, we can’t be fooled anymore."
If you look at how his kids were trained, you can see that Manolo replicated how his mother did theirs – at an early age. Today, Manolo has Itti, Manuel has Otto, Carmelita has Cardam’s, and brother Danilo has chosen to be a supplier.
What lessons did Manolo learn from the shoe business that he can apply in his restaurant venture? "Management. In every business, that’s where you make the difference – how well you handle people – we have people in our factory whose parents were with us since the beginning – the quality of the products and services, and how well you listen to customers."
Not many people know that Manolo Samson and Melo Galvez are motocross buddies. Melo describes Manolo as "pigheaded when it comes to motocross and business, which is why I know this will succeed."
As for Manolo, his many spills, bumps and bruises on the tracks through the years have taught him another lesson he can apply to his businesses: You simply pick yourself up again, and then ride off into the sunset.