The Bistro Group celebrates 30 years of love, announces new restaurant concepts | Inquirer Business

The Bistro Group celebrates 30 years of love, announces new restaurant concepts

08:08 PM February 05, 2025

In 1994, the first TGIFridays opened in Glorietta, Makati City, a breakthrough restaurant that opened the floodgates for the casual dining experience in the Philippines. The man behind this forerunner concept was The Bistro Group’s Chairman and CEO, William Stelton. It was a trailblazing move that led to other similar restaurant concepts in the F & B industry.

Yeees and your companion to huh hahhaha

Stelton was very impressed with his first visit to a TGIFridays store in the US, saying he felt the energy and the excitement right away. “That was why I decided to bring the concept to the Philippines,” he says. Its maiden store at Glorietta Mall was the biggest branch in the world at that time. “We had hundreds of people queueing when we launched it. The market’s enthusiastic acceptance of the brand was amazing!” Today, TGIFridays is thriving and expanding in the Philippines.

Yeees and your companion to huh hahhaha

Yeees and your companion to huh hahhaha

Soon after, Bistro successfully launched an ensemble of other American brands such as Italianni’s, Denny’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Texas Roadhouse, Randy’s Donuts, Olive Garden, Hard Rock Café, and El Pollo Loco. Asian concepts also thrived within the company’s portfolio … Watami, Modern Shang, Red Lotus, Bulgogi Brothers, Secret Recipe, and Fish & Co as well as homegrown restaurants like Krazy Garlik and Siklab+. There are also Spanish concepts like Las Flores, Tomatito, Rambla, and Rumba as well as Bistro Elite which includes Helm, Ember, Savage and The Test Kitchen. And only last December, it launched the luxurious brand, Morton’s The Steakhouse.

Yeees and your companion to huh hahhaha

“From 9 concepts, 53 stores, and with almost P2B in revenue in 2013, we ended 2024 with 26 concepts, 225 stores, and P9B in revenue,” says Jean Paul Manuud, The Bistro Group president. Conclusively, The Bistro Group is an acknowledged leader in the casual dining category in the Philippines. It has a presence in major malls and stand-alone locations within Metro Manila and in the provinces of Pampanga and Bataan. It has also enhanced its F&B footprint by making its mark in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, opening stores in Cebu and Bacolod to satisfy the ever-evolving demands (and cravings) of Filipino foodies.

New brands revealed

The Bistro Group kickstarts its 30th year by launching much-awaited international concepts including Dave & Buster’s, the ultimate destination for food, drink, and entertainment (eatertainment) where guests can dine, drink, play interactive games, or simply watch sports shows at the bar; Fogo de Chão, the internationally renowned experiential restaurant from Brazil known for the culinary art of churrasco; Longhorn Steakhouse that serves high-quality steaks, ribs, chops, chicken and more and Dessert 129 from Korea. From Bistro’s Corporate Executive Chef Josh Boutwood comes another innovative concept, Juniper. Located at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall scheduled to open this February, it offers a large selection of gins, botanicals, and tonics with a beautifully crafted menu that was developed to complement the drinking experience.

All these are aligned with Bistro’s aggressive expansion strategy, looking into opening 100+ stores in the next 5 years.

“We will also grow existing brands that are scalable and whose business models can be replicated while maintaining quality and service,” says Manuud, “For example, we were amazed at the public’s acceptance of Siklab+, our first Filipino concept that is generating rave reviews from customers. We see it expanding in more places in Metro Manila. Texas Roadhouse is also on a roll, being one of our highest-performing concepts that is growing by leaps and bounds.”

A story of people. culture. Service

“Ours is a story of people. Our human resource is an essential contributor towards our growth and profitability. Our personnel are key assets to our company. They are the bedrock of our success and sustainability. We believe that when we take care of our people, they will, in turn, take care of our business,” Manuud explains. To prosper their employees from all ranks, Bistro invests a lot in intensive training to keep them engaged, motivated, and committed to their roles. The company recognizes and rewards talent and passion.

Yeees and your companion to huh hahhaha

The Bistro Group also puts a premium on its signature kind of service, a testimony to its commitment to deliver good food resulting in an exceptional dining experience for guests, every time. It always aims to treat everyone with the utmost courtesy and professionalism. Bistro believes that if the customers are happy with their food and service and what they pay for it, they will spread the word among their circle of family and friends, gifting Bistro with growing patronage.

In the past 30 years, Bistro, like any Filipino company, had its share of challenges given the global health crisis, economic recession, and competition. Notwithstanding the adversity and market uncertainty during those challenging times, Bistro restaurants not only survived but vigorously grew. The F & B industry is highly competitive and standing out from the crowd is daunting. The consistency of their food, genuine brand of service, resiliency, and genuine hospitality lay at the heart of the company and continue to sustain them.

So, where is it going from here? The Bistro Group will keep innovating and developing new concepts, keeping a finger on the pulse of its customers and remaining constantly attuned to the latest industry trends and ever-evolving technology that impacts the F & B industry.

Bistro also lives by what they call the triangle balance, giving equal value to three vital considerations- employees, suppliers, and customers. It’s all about these that keep them going.

Moving forward, the company will continue to celebrate its leadership, incessantly setting the bar high in the Philippines’ casual dining landscape which it has pioneered for 30 years. For The Bistro Group, things have never looked this promising.

ADVT.

This article is brought to you by The Bistro Group.

TAGS: BrandRoom

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2025 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.