Micro-moments with macro-impact
Maintaining relevance is a constant exercise in alignment with the current landscape without losing what you stand for.
Here, Flow, Branch by Roots, and Newport World Resorts show how they are building their brands for the long term: by testing new ideas on a tasting menu, sparking conversations through a chicken sandwich collaboration, and upselling a seasonal product into a luxe status symbol.
Flow’s Chapter 2 tasting menu
The big idea: Kevin Uy and Gato Ong’s sophomore tasting menu distills the Filipino and Peruvian inspiration of their debut outing into a hyper-focused exploration of Peru’s street food sensibilities using Philippine ingredients. The duo goes from strength to strength, with Uy fueling Flow’s creative direction and Ong grounding the overall vision into formats that keep up with the pace of a degustation.
The signature products: At nine courses, Uy’s second coming offers a more polished Peruvian positioning. Drawing from his memories, the Chapter 2 menu showcases growth and what seems like a newfound confidence.
Highlights include a delicious Caldo de Gallina (a comforting chicken soup with tinigib corn for texture) and an amazing course of blue swimmer crab, parihuela sauce, and avocado puree paired with aligue flatbread.
The broader strategy: For Uy, memories aren’t just memories; they are also engines that power tasting menus. “This is what the abuelas (grandmothers) would cook, and what you would find in street carts and taverns,” he says.
But the larger statement here comes in droves. While Uy and Ong fixate on Peru, they dial back on their grip on the menu to involve the kitchen—in particular letting sous chef Betina Carangan take the reins in the lovely dessert courses. “Flow isn’t just me or Gato. Flow is all of us,” says Uy.
Haole and Branch by Roots collaboration
The big idea: Create an exciting push-and-pull between Hawaii and Siargao that serves as the primary vehicle in bringing together Haole owner Gino Ortiz’s approach to comfort food with the playful daytime dining takes of Branch, the casual all-day breakfast and brunch concept of the creative Casa Kaos team.
The signature product: The Ono Chicken Sandwich is made with a toasted bun spread with gochujang aioli and filled with hot crispy chicken, lightly drizzled with sweet miso sauce and finished with sesame-calamansi slaw. It is served with a side of French fries and furikake—a combination of heat, sweetness, acidity, and umami that draws from both kitchens.
The broader strategy: The goal isn’t just to produce an item that improves both restaurants’ co-branding potential, unlock a new customer base, or create a sense of urgency and feeling of FOMO. The fun, compatible partnership between Haole and Branch by Roots also kickstarts more island collaborations, gives greater exposure to Siargao’s diverse culinary scene, and fosters deeper cultural connections.
Mooncake season at Newport World Resorts
The big idea: Letting mooncake have its moments of brilliance across five hotel and foodservice brands in the integrated resort complex. There’s a lot to unpack, which can be a challenge, but Newport World Resorts is positioning itself as a one-stop mooncake destination for every kind of customer.
The signature products: Happy 8 features seven mooncake varieties with flavors that encompass the contemporary and the traditional. At Hilton Manila, Hua Yuan Brasserie Chinoise packs them into handcrafted Rags2Riches woven bags, while Hotel Okura Manila draws from a century-old Japanese wrapping tradition for its Akizuki Mooncake Collection.
Finally, Manila Marriott Hotel’s Man Ho and Sheraton Manila Hotel enrapture fans of the sweet, salty, and savory Chinese pastry with boxes of mooncakes—perfect for personal and corporate gifting.
The broader strategy: There is an emphasis on three important aspects. First, the opportunity to showcase their pastry chefs’ creativity. Second, the luxurious packaging serves as a tool in elevating the value (and justifying the premium pricing) of the mooncakes.
Lastly, in today’s social media landscape, beautiful mooncake packaging plays right into “unboxing” culture that could lead to organic emotional connections with consumers.
600,000 macarons and Manila’s appetite for accessible global luxury
According to Karan Gopwani, founder and CEO of Gastronova Hospitality Group, the exclusive Philippine franchisee of Ladurée, the numbers suggest that the appetite for the brand extends well beyond the novelty of its arrival in Manila. “We sold almost 600,000 macarons month-to-date, making Ladurée Philippines one of the highest-grossing Ladurée locations globally. We are a country that loves our sweets,” he says.
The volume, Gopwani explains, comes from both retail and business-to-business purchases, suggesting that Ladurée’s appeal extends beyond individual diners to corporate clients, events, and other forms of gifting and hospitality. That breadth of demand has also given the company data with which to shape its next phase of expansion.
“The BGC flagship gave us a lot of data about the Philippine consumer,” he says. “For us to scale, we have to open up to different kinds of formats.” —Patrick de Veyra
Read the full story on lifestyle.inquirer.net
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