Gerry's | Gearing Up For 20

Since I'm not the type who wants to cook all of the time, and there were lazy days filled either by ordering in a takeaway or heading out to a delicious establishment somewhere, Gerry's our escape.

Yep, it has been one of our go-to restaurants and you can't fault this institution for authentic Filipino dishes which also indicated as one of the best places for all types of get together as the atmosphere alone gives you the feeling of home.

Locally owned, Gerry's has been around almost forever, operating since 1997 and still flourishing in the food scene.
Regulars still frequent this venue, celebrating countless anniversaries or kids free evening even, that serves more than just beer and ‘pulutan’.

To those who grew up munching on Gerry’s bestsellers now enjoy going to the restaurant with their children and their children’s friends. Knowing that there were changes over the years thinking it would turn out to be a disappointment, still exceeding everyone's expectation and excellent as ever.

As Gerry's gearing up for their 20th in the coming year, February 14 to be exact, Senior Marketing Manager of Gerry's Grill, Francis Villaluz, shared a little bit of what they've been doing and what they've done the past 20 years during the media "lunch" held at their first branch in Tomas Morato that truly introduced the place to the market and where it all began.

In the days past, the interiors were still heavy with the tropical theme, complete with a waterfall perfect while lounging at the bar. No air condition unit.
Gerry’s was only open at nighttime to accommodate drinkers. With its growing popularity, it eventually acceded to requests from guests to extend its operations to early lunch to enjoy their favorite dishes.
During the day, the sun shines through large street-facing no glass windows, highlighting the wooden bar and dark furniture. And Gerry's continued to evolved and grow throughout the years.

Since everything was named with Grill, a trend in 1997, hence their restaurant's name. Also their menu was mostly grilled.
Dropping the word "grill" was encouraged as they are more to that right now, giving rooms to operate in terms of their food. With those said changes, the need to adopt is necessary..from the logo, and uniform, to the menu.

Moving towards the 20th, with their current 80-branch network in the country, is set to open five branches during the first Quarter of 2017 SM San Pablo, SM Iloilo, Festival Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Bacolod City, and Mactan, Cebu.
By end of 2016, Gerry's will have 82 local branches with the opening of Robinson’s Place in Calasiao, Pangasinan; Matalino Street in Quezon City and Southpark in Alabang, Muntinlupa City soon.

Overseas Gerry’s has two branches each in Singapore, Qatar and the US. It is set to open in Hawaii early next year.
They've also ventured into different brands like Ramen Sora which is mostly situated in provinces like Subic, Baguio, Cebu. Expansion is part of their game plan indeed, a never ending process.

At the media "lunch", they were able to meet the original employees who have been with Gerry's since day one. Unfortunately I had to leave early that time.

For years now, Gerry’s has been a staunch supporter of athletes.
Among those they have provided support were UST Growling Tigers, UP Fighting Maroons, Perpetual Help College and Arellano University in NCAA.
Currently, Gerry’s provides NCAA 91 Women’s Volleyball Champion the College of Saint Benilde Lady Blazers meals support under the strict supervision of a nutritionist.
Gerry’s is also a benefactor of The Philippine Volcanoes.

Recently, Gerry’s held a cook-off among their chefs whose winning entries became part of the restaurant’s current menu lineup, among them Salt and Pepper Squid, Chicharon Liempo, Kalderetang Kambing and Spanish Style Bangus.
New Desserts: Sweet Suman, Crunchy Camote Chips, Turon con Yema, Sweet Potato Ala Mode.

Food items go thru a series of checks to ensure that they are served hot and fresh to guests. To maintain consistency, Gerry’s has a team of quality assurance officers who visit all the branches regularly.
Of course, their hard work has paid off with numerous recognition for its excellent dishes, among them: Spot.ph Best Bangus Sisig Award for 2012, The Choice People‘s Favorite Restaurant for omce Party Award for 2015 and People's Favorite Sisig Award for 2015 and 2016.

Our hurried dining experience led to us leaving with the promise that our next visit would not be so long in the planning. With multiple locations throughout the city, you are never far from fast, delicious food.

By the way, since Christmas is upon us, Gerry's promises to bring Filipino favorites to your Christmas parties and reunions as they offer affordable packages for the season.