Kitchen City partners Peejay Yambao and Jun Abelardo may have anticipated what would life be for Filipinos in a lockdown.
Around the first week of March, they observed what was happening in other countries which imposed lockdown: the only things allowed to operate were groceries, drugstores and food delivery.
It was then that the duo knew they had to pivot their business to food delivery to remain relevant.
“We had to change business models to generate revenues so that we can keep employing our people,” said Yambao. At that time, Kitchen City was operating over 100 cafeterias employing more than 1,000.
“We have been fortunate that our change in business model yielded better than expected results,” Abelardo said.
On March 17, the duo launched Kitchen City Frozen Meals offering their well-loved commissary-made products into safe, delicious and convenient reheatable dishes.
The entrepreneurs who started their cafeteria concessionaire business in 2011 soon found out their products enjoyed a wide appeal.
“We started with only 11 (dishes on the menu(s), now we have 60,” Abelardo said. “At first, we tried our concept of Family Frozen Meals to family and found out the concept appealed to a lot more people: seniors, condo dwellers, non-cooks, people who were working from home and people who just wanted convenience. After a month on the lockdown, we realized that food safety was an integral part of people’s decision on where to buy their food.”
The business now has 100 corporate concessionaire clients.
Kitchen City’s commissary at the FTI Complex in Taguig is compliant to food safety protocols, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points or HACCP and Good Manufacturing Practices.
The partners said safety starts with their raw materials, where they only use meats certified by the National Meat Inspection Services. They also always have safety officers on site. To further ensure that their frozen offerings are safe, they do their own deliveries.
With their extensive menu offerings that have been enjoyed in canteens in Metro Manila and Calabarzon, Kitchen City’s 15 research and development chefs, from all over the Philippines, now prepare frozen versions of 60 choices from their signature dishes such as beef caldereta and other chef-prepared frozen food favorites such as kare kare, Filipino pork dishes sisig to light and healthy fish and vegetable dishes. They have also added desserts into their menu.
Prices range from P250 to P550 for a family serving of four to five.
Kitchen City plans to continue serving their convenient cuisine through the new normal and even the “next normal.”
“I think we destroyed the mentality that frozen meals do not taste as good as freshly cooked food. Post-COVID, we hope that the value of convenience, safety and great taste will be fundamental reasons why people will continue patronizing our offerings, Abelardo said.
Kitchen City currently delivers in Metro Manila, Rizal, some parts of Laguna and Cavite.
They are opening delivery hubs in Bulacan and other metropolitan cities.