The favorite Chinese and western-style fastfood restaurant Chowking recently opened its fourth store in Bohol last Wednesday, January 15, at Alturas Mall in Talibon town.

Chowking managing directress, Mrs. Dianne Uy-Yap, led the ceremonial ribbon-cutting, together with all the guests and VIPs, including Mayor Janet Garcia during the store blessing conducted a day earlier, January 14.

The new Chowking store is the 82nd branch in Visayas and 611th in the Philippines. Here in Tagbilaran City, there are three Chowking stores at Island City Mall, Alturas Mall and Alta Citta Mall. Plans are underway to open more Chowking stores both in the city and in the province of Bohol.

Offering a variety of Chinese-inspired fastfood dishes as well as some local favorites, Chowking is known for its plenty of fried rice meals on its menu, as well as dimsum, noodles, and sweets. Classics such as Sweet & Sour Pork or Fish are among their bestsellers, along with Halo-Halo and the Chao Fan fried rice bowls that come with different toppings.

Chowking was founded by Robert Fung Kuan who set up its first store in Makati back in 1985, when American-style burger chains were dominating the Philippine fastfood industry. With its success in the first few years of operation, it was very quickly franchised and annual sales were passing the million peso mark by 1991. The chain’s growth was aggressive, with 100 stores serving the Chowking menu only a little over a decade after its inception and expanding to international markets.

In 2000, the potential for even more growth was tapped after Chowking became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jollibee Food Corporation. By 2008, there were over 400 stores up and running nationwide and nearly 20 international outlets. Through its many awards and exceptional food service, Chowking has become a staple restaurant of the fastfood industry in the Philippines and continues to provide affordable, great-tasting meals to the food-loving Filipinos. (PR)