Chicken rules for these Filipino brands conquering the world
Potato Corner has added chicken to its menu—Crunchy Chicken Pops—and it introduced the new offering in a most amusing way: a video featuring a chicken going through a lie detector test. In the clip, Jennylyn the honest chicken is asked two questions which she answers in the affirmative: Are Crunchy Chicken Pops made of real chicken? And, are Crunchy Chicken Pops really crunchy?
The polygraph examiner studies Jennylyn’s responses and confirms that she is telling the truth. But we don’t need a lie detector test to know that Crunchy Chicken Pops are indeed made of real chicken and are really crunchy. We tried them and enjoyed them. The best thing about them is you can get your Crunchy Chicken Pops in your favorite Potato Corner flavor (in our case, BBQ and Golden Sweet Corn).
Mathew Whang, marketing director of Potato Corner PH and Global Markets, told Lifestyle, “We introduced Crunchy Chicken Pops to excite our guests and provide them with even more delicious snacking options. They’re made from real whole chicken meat and have a satisfying crunch.” They’re great on their own but, like Whang said, “They’re best paired with our flavored fries.”
Crunchy Chicken Pops are now available in most Potato Corner branches nationwide and also via Grab and FoodPanda. Potato Corner, which was launched in 1992, has over 1,569 branches all over the country now.
This Filipino favorite has also been conquering the world since 2006 when it opened its first store abroad. It’s now found in 15 countries and territories including the United States, Hong Kong, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Turks
Another Filipino brand that has found international success is Turks. The pita wrap concept opened its third branch in Central in Hong Kong just over a week ago. Turks, rebranded as T.Co in Hong Kong, first opened there last year.
Turks recently celebrated its 17th anniversary with the Piso Wrap promo which allowed customers nationwide to order their favorite pita wrap for just P1.
Gem Lapid Zeñarosa founded Turks in 2007 out of the desire to provide for his family. He became man of the house at an early age, he told Lifestyle. “My priority is to provide well for my wife and my family. I worked hard, I was buying and selling cars but eventually it was not enough. I am very ambitious, I have goals and big dreams and I knew I could do more.”
They sold his wife’s car and used some of the money to start their business.
“Back then, shawarma stalls were all over, but there were none in shopping malls because of the aroma of the beef while cooking it,” Zeñarosa said.
He faced this challenge head on and designed his own cart. He was just 26 then and a complete newbie in business, but what he had were creativity and enthusiasm. “I innovated the usual shawarma kiosk we see everywhere. I designed the Turks cart with glass to keep the smoke and scent within the cooking area.”
They put up their first branch in SM Sta. Mesa.
He recalled, “With our limited capital, running the business was really difficult. I had to do everything, from being the marketer to being the cashier. I remember going to Balintawak market early in the morning to buy vegetables. I would rush home after to prepare the products before I deliver them to the store.”
It was a family effort. “Together with my wife and my siblings, we managed the store operations, from cashiering to serving the customers while our baby sat in a trolley in one corner of the store,” he said.
700 branches
Today, Turks has almost 700 branches nationwide. And then there’s the Hong Kong expansion.
Zeñarosa said, “In every success I want my father in heaven to be glorified. This expansion in Southeast Asia is a great blessing and I am overjoyed that the Lord is continually blessing the work of my hands. I am more than happy to see that a guy like me can be a part of a community of Pinoys who can be proud to share something to other nations, especially the food that we love.”
T.Co will also open in Mongkok in May and Causeway Bay in June. It will open stores as well in Thailand, Korea, China and the US within the year.
The brand recently launched new offerings: Crispy Chicken Wrap and Crispy Chicken Rice. “Since we are a country ruled by chicken dishes, we thought of giving what our customers want,” said Zeñarosa.
The Crispy Chicken Wrap is crispy chicken with tomato, cucumber and onions smothered in Turks’ garlic, cheese and hot sauces and wrapped in their famous pita. For a heavier meal, go for Crispy Chicken Rice—a large crispy chicken breast fillet, tomato, cucumber, onion and riced, drizzled with Turks’ signature sauces.
The Crispy Chicken Rice and Crispy Chicken Wrap are available at Turks food stalls in food courts, restaurant-type and drive-through branches.
