Xing Café banks on versatile services to stay in business

CEBU, Philippines - Amid the stiff competition in the food business and karaoke television (KTV) industry, Xing Café and KTV Restobar capitalizes on its multi-faceted services to further penetrate the local market. 

Xing Café and KTV Restobar proprietor Marina Kaufmann said in an interview that serving as both dining place and singing session area enables the two-year old business to keep up in the competitive industry as more commercial establishments are sprouting like mushrooms in the city.

“The competition is quite high but we are a multi-purpose business. Customers can prefer to have a karaoke session after dining or dine and sing at the same time. We also differ with our service and our music,” Kaufmann said.

The 358-square meter restobar has a seating capacity of 70 persons including the dining area. It houses eight to ten KTV rooms that could accommodate eight to thirty persons in a room. The rooms can also be used for functions and board meetings.

Xing Café and KTV Restobar offers a menu of starters, pica-pica, breakfast meals, soups, salads, rice and noodles, pasta, vegetable, sandwiches, desserts, fruits, beverages and alcoholic drinks. It has main course meals that include chicken, pork, seafood, beef, lamb, and grilled dishes such as barbecue.

Among its bestselling dishes are the crispy pata that is priced at P450, special back ribs at P280 and the sizzling Xingsig which is pegged at P190. Its also has combo meals that are composed of rice, viand and iced tea and are priced from P155 to P240.

Xing Café and KTV Restobar also caters to birthdays, wedding receptions, conferences, farewell parties, social functions, company and team buildings, debuts, bridal and baby showers, homecoming and buffets.

Kaufmann took over the business last November 2012. She was once an employee before turning out to be a businesswoman. She used to have a restaurant business in Singapore but closed it down when Kaufmann moved to Cebu.

“Xing is a Chinese term for star. Since the brand has already made a mark in the Cebu market, I decided to retain the name. Before, it used to be catering mostly to Chinese nationals but now, it is a mix of both foreign and local customers,” she said.

Similar with other businesses, Fridays and Saturdays are the peak days of Xing Café and KTV Restobar. It has a live acoustic band during these days to entertain its market that is more on families, students and call center employees.

Kaufmann revealed that they are eyeing to open one to three outlets in Mactan and Cebu City next year.

She also plans to have the live acoustic music every night to attract more customers and focus more on catering to functions and conferences.

Further, she intends to invest more on marketing strategies to make the brand known in the market.

“We want to be branded as a place where everyone, from all ages, could chill, relax and hang out. Xing Café and KTV Restobar is where you can dine and unwind all at once,” she said.

Kaufmann currently manages 20 employees and even personally cooks for catering purposes.

Xing Café and KTV Restobar is located at 869 AS Fortuna Street, Banilad, Mandaue City and is open from 7 AM to 2 AM. /JOB (FREEMAN)