There’s corned beef on your pizza

MANILA, Philippines – Who doesn’t like corned beef? It ranks high among the all-time Pinoy breakfast favorites, together with longganisa, tapa, and tocino.

We even have it occasionally in our sinigang.

We enjoy it with rice, or just plain hot pan de sal. So why not on our favorite pizza?

Shakey’s recently launched its latest pizza flavor, the Shakey’s Corned Beef Crrrunch Pizza. 

“It’s the medley of different flavors and textures that makes the pizza special,” Shakey’s general manager Jorge Concepcion explains. “We use only real premium corned beef, which is the basic topping on our signature thin-crust and hand-tossed pizza, combined with feta cheese, caramelized onions, and crisp shoestring potatoes for the crunchy texture.”

“We are always developing new items to update our menu, which often become familiar mainstays,” Concepcion says. Among the bestsellers are the Pepperoni Crunch and Manager’s Choice pizza, as well as Chicken n’ Mojos, an all-time favorite. Many of the items on the menu are good for sharing.

“Most of our customers come in groups,” he adds, “so we’d like to promote the Shakey’s experience, which is all about celebrating good times and great memories.”

Shakey’s pizza parlor, which was established in the US in 1954, was brought to the Philippines in 1975 by the San Miguel Corporation to promote their draft beer. It has since evolved into the leading casual-dining brand that it is today, with 170 branches nationwide. With the recent change in its ownership structure and an international joint venture, the international license holder is poised to expand overseas — to Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East.

“The new Shakey’s store on Buendia in Makati, which opened in March this year, serves as a model for potential foreign franchise partners,” Concepcion shares. It features spacious interiors, high ceilings, an open kitchen and pizza crust production room, a function room, a kiddie fun corner, 80-inch TV flat screens, as well as a bar. There’s free Wi-Fi and outlets for charging your phone.

“Our philosophy is to ‘think guest,’” Concepcion explains. “What do our guests want?”

In fact, the service extends beyond the store’s four walls. “We have a service where you can order online from anywhere in the world.” Concepcion tells the story of an OFW mom in the Middle East who had a pizza delivered to her child in the Philippines on his birthday. The staff added a greeting card, which brought tears of joy to the child’s eyes. “With the technology available today, we can make it even more personalized. It may be possible to upload your own pictures or attach a handwritten note,” he says.

There are also guest comment cards inside the store, which serve as a valuable database. “We now use tablets so it’s easier for the customers to enter their comments or concerns, which reach the managers instantly so they are able to respond immediately. We call it our ‘We Care’ facility,” Concepcion says.

Whether it’s for the total Shakey’s experience or simply for the corned beef on your pizza, you have more than enough reasons to want to go to Shakey’s.