Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Resto to open more stores in tourist areas
A PIZZA restaurant expects to have 100 branches before the end of the year as it continues to expand its presence in viable locations all over the country.
Joe Baula Jr., franchise operations manager of Shakey’s, said that this year, six more franchise-owned outlets will be opened after it relocated one branch in Cebu to a new location last Saturday.
The Shakey’s outlet that used to be located at the ground floor level of JY Square Mall was transferred to The Walk, a retail complex located within Asiatown IT (Information Technology) Park in Cebu City.
“This is a good location. As you can see, there are a lot of developments going on,” Baula said.
The company is still studying the option for Shakey’s at The Walk to operate for 24 hours a day, considering that most companies at the Asiatown IT Park are call centers that operate beyond the usual work hours.
Baula said Cebu is an important location for them since it intends to penetrate tourist destinations.
Biggest growth
One of Shakey’s branches in Cebu posted the biggest growth among all other outlets nationwide, he said.
There are five Shakey’s outlets in Cebu, all operated by franchisee Future Foods Inc.
In August, Shakey’s will open another branch in Cabanatuan. The restaurant chain also plans to open branches in Bohol, Boracay and Zamboanga soon.
Baula said the company is also expected to open three company-owned restaurants within Metro Manila.
At present, Shakey’s has 95 branches nationwide. Almost half of the total number of branches are franchise-operated.
Aside from the expansion, Shakey’s is also promoting a new concept that Baula refers to as the “fun, family pizza dining experience.”
Baula said that this concept means that the company wants to give value-added services to its customers, which it refers to as “guests.”
“Our guests are important to us, that’s why we give back to them by creating value in our services,” he added.
As a company standard, all Shakey’s restaurants are expected to upgrade facilities after every five years of operation.
Baula said that aside from the continuous face-lifting of its restaurants, the company also looks into product innovation and good customer service. (DME)
