Good food, lively entertainment, draw crowd to Subic resto

PIER 1 has become the party place at Subic. photos by Robert Gonzaga, Inquirer Central Luzon

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The smell and flavor of meals served by his mother as he and his siblings were growing up inspired Marianito Fernandez to bring these family recipes to Pier One Subic at the sprawling Moonbay Marina Resort here.

Fernandez, chairman of the Subic Coastal Development Corp. (SCDC), the developer of Moonbay Marina, is a stickler for quality and knows that good food will bring people to his restaurant and share their dining experience with others.

Thus the adobong baka sa gata (beef adobo in coconut milk), pancit negra (noodles in squid ink), pancit palabok and fried vegetable lumpia – some of the food that his late mother prepared for the family – were included in Pier One Subic’s regular menu.

“I want nothing but the best for [our guests]. It’s easier to do that if you know how to cook and appreciate good food. I am very particular when it comes to that, and I think I got that from my mother who used to cook for us. I use her recipes here, as well,” says Fernandez.

Recipes from the family’s kitchen have become bestsellers, alongside Pier One standards like sisig litson, crispy pata, kare-kare and various preparations of sinigang.

While Pier One Subic has a largely similar menu with other Pier One branches, Fernandez says their kitchen prepares meals homemade style. “We do it the hard way,” he says.

But in the highly competitive food business, serving good food sometimes is not enough.

Just like what he did with the menu, he introduced changes to the Pier One experience. He tapped local show bands to perform in the restaurant that not only play popular music but also perform comedy skits to entertain the crowd.

This particular mode of entertainment blended well with the Mediterranean ambiance in Moonbay Marina, whose most splendid feature is the beach front facing Subic Bay.

Fernandez says the restaurant’s early clients inspired the idea of featuring bands. “It began with a request from SBMA [Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority] workers who wanted to have their event held here. They needed a stage, and when it was over, I thought it was a good idea to retain the stage,” he says. Fernandez then asked local bands from Olongapo City to perform. “And the rest is history. Every night, people here can have fun nonstop.”

Pier One Subic, he says, was the franchise that jump-started the Moonbay Marina project and is still the dynamo that drives it.

The crowd swells every Friday and Saturday, with between 1,500 and 2,000 people every night.

“Every summer we reach our peak. Even when the rainy season comes, the revenues from the blockbuster summer can compensate,” he says.

But Fernandez admits that he tried to look for other franchises before finally settling with Pier One to become the first establishment in Moonbay Marina.

“They were the only one to accept. In hindsight, I think that was providential,” he says.

Fernandez credits Pier One Subic as partly responsible for the success of SCDC’s development project because it sparked interest not only in attracting clients but also investors to Moonbay Marina.

“We have not changed our formula since day one. People come here to have fun, enjoy good food and be in the [midst of nature] all at the same time. That’s what we offer, and that’s why the crowd keeps coming back,” he says.

Fernandez credits Pier One’s employees for keeping the business afloat. “They have been with us since day one and that’s why a culture of service comes naturally to them. Without the employees, the restaurant will not be the success that it is today,” he says.