Wolfgang’s Steakhouse opens 2nd Phl branch

MANILA, Philippines — New York-based Wolfgang’s Steakhouse continues to expand its presence in the Philippines as it opens its second branch, prompted by the strong market reception for its brand.

Wolfgang recently opened its second Philippine location at The Podium in Ortigas Center, as it aims to get its share of customers from both the corporate and family market.

“Ortigas is a natural market for Wolfgang. Of course we have the corporate people and of course we have families,” Wolfgang local partner Raymund Magdaluyo said.

“It felt that we wanted to be near bankers and corporate headquarters,” Magdaluyo said, adding the new location is right next to the BDO Tower.

The world-class steakhouse opened its first store in the Philippines in 2016, located in Resorts World Manila in Pasay City

Wolfgang president Peter Zwiener said the group immediately knew it wanted to open a second outlet after opening its maiden branch in the country.

“We knew almost in the first month that it had the potential to continue because it was packed from day one,” Zweiner said.

Zwiener said a lot of businessmen approached him after the opening of the first store, expressing interest to partner with him for future branches in the country. He, however, declined offers as the brand prefers to stick to one partner in a certain market it enters.

“When I form a partnership in a certain country, I stick with one partner. It’s easier that way. Part of a good business, you have to be loyal to your partner and be fair to your partner,” Zwiener said.

He emphasized that the brand’s local partner is in charge of mostly administrative work such as regulatory sourcing, payroll and providing most of the financing, among others.

In contrast, the Wolfgang international team is focused on operational issues such as branding, training and hiring of kitchen manager.

The Wolfgang brand is not yet done expanding its presence in the country this year, as it is set to open one more branch this year, particularly in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

Zwiener said the third Wolfgang branch will be located at the One Bonifacio High Street Stock Exchange Building and will open sometime in June.

“For now, for Metro Manila, we are stopping at Fort. We’re discussing a fourth branch that’s outside of Metro Manila,” Magdaluyo said, adding that Cebu is the possible location of the first branch outside Metro Manila.

While Zwiener said the brand has not set a target number of branches in the Philippines, he emphasized that its expansion is all about the potential and opportunities offered by a certain location.

“The Philippines has a certain clientele that travels a lot as well. They’re very cosmopolitan so they understand the flavor profile of other cultures as well. So the more than an economy is growing and gets a taste of a certain level along with internet and knows what’s happening in the world, everyone wants a little bit of this, a little bit of that,” the Wolfgang president said.

Apart from then its expansion plans in the country, the Wolfgang brand is indeed setting its sights on a larger share of the global market, as it looks to expand its presence in new markets in the near future.

“Over the next 12 months, we will be opening our first location in Europe (Cyprus, May 2018), our sixth location in New York City (June 2018), and we are currently looking to expand further in Asia (Shanghai, Shenzhen, Taiwan and Jakarta), Middle East (Dubai), Latin America (Mexico and Panama) and Europe (UK, Germany and Switzerland), in 2018 and 2019,” Zwiener said.

At present, the New York Steakhouse has a total of 19 branches across the world, particularly nine locations across the United States and 10 in Asia—four in Japan, two in the Philippines and one each in Korea, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The world-famous Wolfgang’s Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener opened its first branch in New York in 2004. He opened Wolfgang’s Steakhouse after having worked as head waiter at the legendary Peter Luger’s steakhouse in New York for more than 40 years.

Zwiener, used his extensive experience in aging process of USDA Prime quality beef as he started the business with his son Peter and a few other partners.