Chooks to dine fastfood soon

The biggest market in the food industry is still the sit-in or dining segment.

MascariÑas sees fastfood as his next conquest. AL PADILLA

Fastfood kings Jollibee Food Corp. and Mcdonald’s Philippines may soon have to worry about a new rising competitor that had dominated the retail lechon manok (roast chicken) market in such a short time, aggressively taking the market away from the traditional producers.

Fresh from launching its latest Harrissa Roast chicken flavor, dominant chicken rotisserie firm Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. (BAVI) is taking on a new challenge with a planned rollout of its first fastfood restaurant outlet within the next two months.

Although its roast brand Chooks to Go is number one in terms of size and market share in the chicken take-out segment, the company wants to explore new growth areas.

BAVI president and general manager Ronald Mascariñas, during the weekly “Straight Talk with Daily Tribune” on Tuesday, said the company’s move to venture into the fastfood restaurant business was meant to expand the company’s market reach.

“The biggest market in the food industry is still the sit-in or dining segment,” he said, noting that although its roast brand Chooks to Go is number one in terms of size and market share in the chicken take-out segment, the company wants to explore new growth areas.

“We will put up Chooks to Go restaurants wherever the two giant fastfood chains have stores. We are ready to compete with them,” Mascariñas declared.

According to the BAVI executive, the new store will open shop before the year ends, but he refused to identify its first location pending its official launch.

At the same time, the company announced its new partnerships with Robinsons and SM Supermarkets to sell Chooks to Go chicken in all their outlets. BAVI is currently designing a chicken rotisserie for the new venture.

“I have finalized a deal with Robinsons Supermarket already to sell Chooks to Go in all their stores. We will be replacing the ones they are selling there. The same agreement is being finalized with SM Supermarkets. Hopefully these two deals will be implemented within the next two months,” he added.

Chooks to fly Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. president and general manager Ronald Mascariñas relates his bold plans for flagship Chooks to Go to Daily Tribune editor Jojo Silvestre and advertising head Komfie Manalo. AL PADILLA

According to Mascariñas, the new flavor is the company’s commitment to make roast chicken exciting for Filipinos.

He invited everyone to sample the spicy taste of the new Chooks-to-Go Harissa roast chicken. The latest flavor variant from the nation’s largest roasted chicken chain is influenced by the North African hot chili pepper paste that combines roasted red or serrano peppers with spices and herbs such as garlic paste, cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds, lemon and olive oil.

“We are excited with this new Harissa Roast Chicken that the younger generation of Filipinos will surely crave for. It will be a great addition to the Sweet Roast and Pepper Roast Chooks-to-Go oven-roasted chickens that most Pinoys have grown to love,” Mascariñas said.

The Harissa Roast chicken will be available at more than 1,600 Chooks-to-Go outlets nationwide, starting 22 September.