EVERYONE is for good food.
When in Mati City, Davao Oriental, apart from enjoying the beach and going on island hopping, one thing every visitor should try tasting is its famous empanada from Seaside Snack Haus.
This Mati grown business has become part of both the locals’ lifestyle and tourists’ itinerary.
“We are happy to have been part of the thriving tourism industry of Mati,” Gina L. Abayon, owner of Seaside Restaurant said.
What makes “Seaside” special is its "heirloom" recipe passed through generations.
Like any other successful businesses, Seaside started small.
“I remember around 1968, we are helping my lola and mother selling lumpia house to house,” she shared.
Her late grandmother, Miguela “Gelang” Ineda, who is from Pampanga, started the business with only lumpia. The empanada only came in the picture when all their prepared lumpia were sold out and they thought of offering another delicacy.
“Before, lumpia lang talaga but if maubos kaagad ang lumpia, we would offer empanada to the customers until slowly people are also loving it,” Abayon said.
The family decided to put up a physical store in 1979 as the number of loyal customers, mostly locals, ballooned.
“But it was still small, like a kiosk, and it is really by the seaside (now Mati City Baywalk Park) that is why my lola and mother named it after the location,” Abayon said.
After decades, the business grew until it expanded to a restaurant at Quezon St, Mati City.
“Our life before is far from what we have now, after the hard work, we are glad that the legacy of our lola lives on, we were able to preserved it. When we (with his husband and sibling) took over the business it really helped us raised our families,” Abayon shared in vernacular.
We’ve all tasted empanada somewhere but take Mati Seaside’s empanada differently. All those who already experienced it can attest to its exceptional taste.
“Maybe what really sets our empanada above from others is our dough, the filling can be made by anyone, but the dough, that really is our secret.
It is soft but crunchy, best serve when hot,” Abayon said adding their empanadas are available with pork asado, vegetable, and chicken flavour.
Its special taste drew both locals and tourists to their store and its high quality product kept them coming back.
On normal days, Seaside can sell 3,000 to 5,000 pieces of empanadas alone. Their empanada is sold P12 each.
“When there are events like summer frolic or Davraa and holidays like Christmas, we can sell up to 10,000 pieces (of empanada),” Abayon said.
For an hour, Abayon said, they can produce 500 pieces. The recipe made by their grandmother has been modified by them through the years but she emphasized that they did not change what their empanada was known for.
A box of empanadas is also a favourite pasalubong present of tourists. She said their delicacy products have reached abroad like Japan and Dubai.
“We are open daily because we can’t afford to lose customers kasi most of them (tourists) would get mad if mag-close kami kasi ‘yun lang daw pinunta nila dito,” she said.
Since September 2017, Seaside transferred to a new location (just a few meters away tho), but still in Quezon St.
“We just transferred because that lot (new location) is already ours, also we now focus on the snacks and delicacies, we do away from the restaurant since we can’t commit to it yet,” she said.
On expanding, Seaside already has a branch in Lupon, Davao Oriental which opened around a year ago.
“So far, it is doing well. It is strategically located by the highway. It is already run by my daughter since I also want them to continue the legacy our grandmother started,” she said.
Moreover, Abayon said they plan to expand presence in other cities in Davao Region like Digos and Davao.
“We are also planning to enter into franchising, let’s just see but now we are grateful to our customers continued support and loyalty,” she said.