Filipinos are a hardworking class of people dedicated to and passionate about their job.
It comes as no surprise then that they seek commensurate reward when it comes to the next best thing they love after their kin: food, more specifically, something that gives more for their money – in other words, value meals.
Indeed, Pinoys love to eat, they derive pleasure from it; and it’s the basis of their social life: a lunch break at work where everyone de-stresses and enjoys some light idle talks which in turn develops a certain bonding; or an evening night out with friends over a bucket-full of fried chicken, fries and soda.
Food, more so the meticulously-prepared ones, are also an integral part of festivities and occasions, from child christenings to birthdays and weddings. This, especially in the rural areas, where the hosts prepare “pabitbit” or take home packs for the guests because, as the saying goes, the farther up the villages the food reaches, the better with more people having able to try it and learned of the event, in turn, bringing good tidings to the celebrants.
Value meals in the UAE
So who brought value meals to the UAE?
Industry experts say that the growing demand for convenience and value for money among Pinoy millennials played very integral parts in the expansion of the Philippine food service industry especially among fast food chains and casual dining restaurants.
And when many of the millennials became overseas Filipino Workers, they brought the concept of value meals with them.
“The concept of value meal is very Pinoy. It makes everyone feel at home. Everywhere in the Philippines you get value meals, even in carinderias (eateries). The same concept has been adopted by Pinoys here in UAE as it makes us have a feel and taste of home,” said one prominent Filipino food vlogger in the UAE.
In the backdrop of a thriving value meal industry are numbers pointing to an even growing economic sector. Based on a recent nationwide Census of Philippine Business and Industry (CPBI), the Philippines food service industry amounts to roughly US$7.2 billion with an estimated 15 to 20 percent annual growth over the past decades.
Value for money
Pinoys, the natural-born hagglers that they are, love the idea of value meals because they get their money’s worth, sometimes even more.
In fact, not a few Pinoys have developed this somewhat uncanny skill of turning into walking calculators when, standing in front of the cashier’s counter and reading from the menu board, they make quick estimates and, at times, arrive at their choice not by what they want but by what would cost less, experts say.
Competing food chains in the UAE always consider the value-for-money factor in creating value meals or combos to get their fair share of customers in the market.
“We, Filipinos are known to be a complete meal eater, which means as much as possible, we want to have the side dish, main dish, beverage, and dessert in one option. Combo meals are bundled items that give a complete meal perception to the customers,” said Rhalf Divina, Jollibee Food Corp.’s operations manager in the UAE.
“Patok combos” is all about right combination and portioning said Little Manila Restaurant’s brand manager, Ken Peralta.
“Filipinos love budget meals; those that have real value. All-time favorite meals like beef adobo, chicken sisig, bopis and lechon manok are preferred because they can mix and match the main dishes with drinks and desserts,” he said.
Silogs
Filipinos love it when their foods are served in pairs. For why else do you think “silogs” became a hit since it was introduced in the early 90’s?
Dinuguan (pork meat and guts stewed with pork blood) will always be in tandem with puto (rice cake); and champorado (chocolate flavored porridge) is always perfect with tuyo (dried salted fish).
The idea of food pairings has been introduced to the Filipinos’ consciousness since they were young and is part of their eccentric taste in food. The idea of food pairing is also present in value meals, and this is what makes them “patok,” (Filipino for “a hit”) among Pinoy foodies.
This is what most fast food chains and restaurants take into consideration when formulating their value meals.
“We look at our guests’ feedback when we create our value or combo meals. We pick meals they would love to eat together and at the heart of our combos is always our Max’s Fried Chicken. Our Platter Meal and Fiesta Meal are the most popular,” said Gilroy Britto, assistant marketing manager at Max’s restaurant.
“We always pay attention to guests’ habits and requests from direct and indirect customer feedbacks when we create value meals. Then we work on customer choices, review combination of dishes that are repeated, follow market trends and create a combo meal by combining them all into one package,” said Venu Gopal, marketing manager at SFC Plus.
The popularity of spaghetti and fried chicken combination in fastfood chains arose from this marketing process.
Boodle fight
A relatively new concept that took off from the Filipinos’ traditional way of eating with bare hands has taken ground in the Philippines and UAE, where it has gained immense popularity among the Filipino expatriate community for a number of reasons: it shakes down homesickness because it “brings ‘home’ to the UAE” and promotes bonding, experts said; and there’s value for money – the “abracadabra” of food and beverage marketing.
A number of Filipino-centric restaurants have come up with boodle fight offers and it’s fast becoming a hit.
Manny Arimbay, operations manager at Komidor Restaurant explains that it’s on the pricing system.
“Boodle sets are designed with value for money in mind,” he said, adding that a Dh105 set, for instance, is good for 4 to 6 persons, where on offer is unlimited rice and drinks on top of five to six kinds of viand all for something less than Dh20 for each person.
Supporting studies
A Nielsen Shopper Trends Report has shown that most Filipinos “opt for instant gratification type of promotions such as ‘buy 1, take 1’ and price discounts.”
“While promotions are important in keeping shopper engagement, it should be strategically planned with a marketing objective in mind – to switch buyers, increase basket or drive purchase frequency – otherwise, if abused, it could do more harm than good to the category,” the report stated.
The report also stated that attractive promotions can encourage spontaneous buying as close to half or 49% of Filipino shoppers are always on the lookout for them.
Experts said the idea of value meal runs consistent with what is called the “loyalty marketing” school of thought, an approach to marketing where a company focuses on expanding its client base through incentives, which also cover airline miles, hotel frequent guest and credit card points programs.
