Chicken Studio Pacita, San Pedro

Classic New Yorker: A staple favorite of a classic buffalo sauce.

The last few weeks had been a whirlwind, and it all started out with a message, "We found a place in Pacita. It's perfect for our second branch." Of course there were a couple of banters here and there, considering that it has only been 9 months since we opened our first. We sort-of knew we were ready for the second one, but financially speaking, the budget left our savings needing some serious resuscitation. My partners had been scouting for a location where we can open our second branch since October, and repeatedly I had been praying that they didn't; casually delaying their intents by passively taking their enthusiasm with restraint and disinterest. Instinctively and logically, I knew scrambling to open a second branch within the same year would be suicide, and a downright ludicrous move that could have possibly caused a lot of self-inflicted liabilities. 2019 felt more reasonable and safe, also, astrology approved. 

When the news finally arrived that they may have found "the one", my initial reaction was shit. I had stirrings at the start, but then again the overall disposition of the place was light, a kind of unsured-reassurance that it could be a start of something great. The risk though was high, like I can feel Evard Munch's painting screaming in me internally as I realized the task that laid before us. The schedule was tight, the budget was tight, the options were tight. It was a scurry to the soft opening date. We aimed to open our doors in time for Valentine's last Feb 14...but as sure as we were with our lovelives, it didn't happen. So we opted for a better date than hearts day, we opened on a Payday Friday. 

Chili Cheese: A creamy-cheesy delight with a kick of chili.

Smokey Barbecue: A classic western taste of homemade barbecue sauce.

Sweet Soy: It's a thick sweetened soy sauce with mild nutty-garlicky tones.

Garlic Parmesan: Everyone's favorite, the taste of garlic butter topped with cheese.

Hot New Yorker: Our spiciest flavor of the nine, a spicy buffalo sauce mix.

Honey Glaze: Made with gooey honey and freshened with lemon, it's sweet-savory.

Hot Korean: It's a spicy Korean sauce that will make you go "Oppa!"

Cheesy Korean: This is a marriage of two complimentary flavors, cheese and Korean sauce.

The process from realization to completion was approximately a month. That may sound like enough time, but two weeks into the deadline we were a three-man show basically getting a lot of the stuff that needed done. And to those who've tried starting a business and wanted full control knows that everything is weighed on your shoulders. Although it is easier the second time around with us knowing where to go and what to buy this time, the amount of intensive labor is just as hard, after all we are a year older than the last. 

This branch is the one where I had enough budget to have a degree of artistic freedom, and my first instinct was to create a design for the counter since it sits prominently as seen outside. I had the visuals in my mind, more chickens. Modern style, colorful, and had that flat illustration effect that I usually go for. Thank God for stock vectors! I read in the feng shui that one of the owners will need an owl to counter the bad luck he has this year of the pig, thus I added not only a couple of owls but other bird species as well. I'm happy with how it turned out, though getting the sintra to Pacita was a little hard...and taping it on seamlessly was unachievable for the first time. Utterly rewarding though, especially when I step back and take a look at it. 

Step 1: Visualize. Internalize. We started with this empty shell, but the potential can easily be seen.

Step 2: Bring in the tables and chairs to clutter the place immediately.

Step 3: Start painting the wall to add some character and color.

Step 4: Let your friends help you do the work. Time is money, just feed them as payment.

Step 5: Don't give up, even if your friends already did. Get the work done because...you have no other choice.

Step 6: Take a step back and see if it'll look good on photos. An instagrammable interior is key.

Step 7: Have your signage installed and start posting teaser pics online.

Step 8: Never forget to add a personal touch. Of course, Sheepig is present in Pacita branch as well. Try finding it!

Step 9: Have the menus printed as well as everything else. Promote!

Step 10: Tell the world your location. Pin it on Google map, and create a social media account.

Step 11: Open your doors and let the dice roll. There will be good days and bad ones. Manage it well!

With the second branch, everything is basically the same, what we offer at Lilac are the same dishes at Pacita. Our biggest draw is the Wings and Rice All-You-Can for a very fair amount of 219. We have a variety of flavors ranging from sweet, to salty, to creamy, to lightly flavored, down to the traditional spicy sauces, all of which are made from scratch. No preservatives. No unnecessary insant power or institutionalized mixes. That becomes obvious with the taste, and certain inconsistencies when we run out of specific stocks. Continually, we strive to improve our taste, experimenting with different brands every now and then.

Besides our chicken, we pride ourselves with having excellent quality burgers because we make the burger patties ourselves using no less than pure angus beef. We keep it at a reasonable price due to this fact. With everything in-house, even down to the garlic mayo dip and nacho sauce, we ensure that the taste is not something you'll be able to find off the shelves. This also allows us to serve quality food without having to burden our customers to carry on the extra cost. We use coleslaw instead of lettuce as veggies on our burgers as personal preference. It's a third-pound patty, making it thicker and larger compared to other patties as they usually just weigh in at a quarter pound. One burger is enough for a meal, or two if you count in the fries that comes with it on the side.

Our Pulled Pork Nachos can be addicting with that sweet smokey flavor of the tender pork strips, topped off with freshly chopped tomatoes and onions, then drizzled with a generous gooey cheese sauce. Another favorite is our Jalapeño Sticks, a saucier term for dynamite. A stick of cheese hugged with a slice of green chili and enveloped in lumpia wrapper before flash fried to a golden crisp. This comes with a side of our garlic mayo dip. We also serve Cheesy Bacon Fries, golden brown fries drowned in our thick cheese sauce then sprinkled on with chopped crispy bacon bits.

We purposely limit the items of our menu, just focusing on what we know best and keeping the standard of a good quality taste while keeping the prices at a bargain. Fast food chains can charge you up to 60 bucks for an extra piece of chicken, 1pc with rice and gravy for P89, while other restaurants count a piece of our wing as two. We use whole wings, this includes the flat (the meaty drumstick-like part) and the flap or wings which is the boney-flavorful part of the wing. The wings are then tossed in our sauces, an extra step that makes everyone want to dig in with their hands. For those who choose to avail the Wings-All-You-Can will have no time limit and will get to choose different flavors if they manage to finish the first serving of chicken and rice to them. This is a place where people look forward to filling in their cravings and challenging their chicken-capacity limit. We always look forward to serving you! 

Please like our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/chickenstudiopacita/

Operating Hours: Open Monday-Sunday from 12nn - 10pm

Ground Floor 2k98 Building 9012 Pacita Ave. San Vicente

San Pedro City, Laguna 4023