Wednesday, April 11, 2007 Chicken feed By Jigs Arquiza
IT’S not a movie theater showing the latest blockbuster to come out of Hollywood. It’s also not the newest nightclub catering to Cebu’s youth, nor is it the trendiest restaurant where socialites flock. But on any regular school day, with an occasional Saturday thrown in, whether it’s lunchtime or early evening, you would see a lot of people waiting in line at this particular establishment.
Fidel’s Chicken Station, a stone’s throw away from the main campus of the University of San Carlos and just around the corner from the Sun.Star Building, is a small, nondescript eating-place. What makes this simple restaurant so special is that it serves fried chicken that’s so good, they can give the Colonel quite a good run for his money.
Established in the middle of 2004 by Fidel Catan, it has since become a hangout of sorts that has developed quite a popular following among the people in the neighborhood, from students to office workers and tourists. From a skeleton staff of three, namely Greg, who came up with the recipe for the fried chicken, Joean, the cashier-server, and Miguela, who cooks the ngohiong and also acts as server, the crew now numbers nine, evidence that the small enterprise they helped start has grown more than threefold in the few years it has been in existence.
Joean relates, “We started out with just enough money to buy three chickens. When they were all sold, Manong Fidel would go again to the market to buy another three chickens, and the process would be repeated. I remember we also had to borrow money (from the ngohiong stall nearby) just so we could buy soft drinks for our customers. We were able to borrow money enough for three cases.” At present, they are already able to make volume purchases of chicken, enough to fill the day’s consumption, something that makes Joean, Greg and Miguela feel proud, knowing that they have been able to help the business grow.
Given the inordinate number of people in the vicinity, people may say that it’s not surprising that a lot of customers patronize Fidel’s. What’s surprising is that with several other establishments also serving the same thing, people still prefer to wait in line at Fidel’s for their fried chicken. Proof positive that as simple as the dish may be, fried chicken remains steadfast in our hearts as a favorite food, and if you’re a certified fried chicken lover, you can’t go wrong at Fidel’s Chicken Station.
