Bistro Group opens first Dave & Buster’s in PHL, talks new ownership

FIGHT ME: despite the possible mess, gaming arcades and restaurants together were always a good idea. The Bistro Group knows that, which is why their latest import is American chain Dave & Buster’s.

Named after founders David “Dave” Corriveau and James “Buster” Corley, the chain was founded during the Golden Age of arcades, the 1980s. Mr. Corley operated a bar; Mr. Corriveau had an arcade. The two noticed their customers crossing over to each other’s establishments and decided to merge.

During a preview on Oct. 10 at its first Philippine branch in Bridgetowne’s Opus, guests were treated to casual dining treats, which included Filipino dishes like a Bagnet Adobo rice bowl, but then, since it’s an American chain, they also brought out the burgers. While we enjoyed the breakfast-inspired burger, topped with an egg, we especially liked the desserts — chocolate cake, cheesecake, and strawberry shortcake.

This is the chain’s first location in Southeast Asia, following India’s opening in the wider Asian region. “It’s a huge market,” said Antonio Bautista, chief international development officer at Dave & Buster’s in an interview with BusinessWorld. “There’s an incredibly ever-growing middle class that wants to spend money on entertainment.”

We must have spent around three hours in the arcade playing all sorts of games (some for the first time), from shooting hoops, to shooting zombies, to shooting clowns, and shooting at Godzilla himself (through virtual reality, of course); racing through the streets of Los Angeles; and even nice, wholesome fairground games (like blasting water through holes or pounding mallets).

“What we want is when people leave, thinking when (they) will come back again,” said Mr. Bautista. While their first branch is in Opus, he said, “We know that we’ve committed to five (branches) with The Bistro Group. We think there is room for more, but we leave that in the hands of our partners.”

On the decision to open in the Philippines, he said, “That was driven, like most decisions, by who our partner is. I have had the privilege of knowing The Bistro Group for two decades. They are one of the most reputable F&B operators, not just in the Philippines, but in Southeast Asia. When I knew that they were interested in the brand, the rest came easy.”

NEW OWNERS
Except Dave & Buster’s is coming in at a period of change for The Bistro Group.

Founded in 1994, the group started with TGIFriday’s (still running in the Philippines), and has been known for bringing popular concepts from abroad, the most recent before Dave & Buster’s being Brazil’s Fogo de Chao.

This month, Inoza Business Holdings, Inc., an affiliate of Progeny Global Holdings that operates the Bounty Fresh brand led by the Chen family, acquired listed holding company A. Soriano Corp.’s (Anscor) stake in The Bistro Group for P1.91 billion, according to a BusinessWorld story.

“The deal follows the Philippine Competition Commission’s approval in August of Inoza’s acquisition of a majority stake in TBG,” the story said (https://tinyurl.com/2k5968mj).

“With the acquisition (by) the Bounty group, it’s business as usual. They like growth, we’re ever-growing. There’s a key alignment as far as the culture, the growth, and most importantly, with people,” Jean Paul Manuud, president of The Bistro Group, told BusinessWorld. “We all believe in the future growth of Bistro, including the brands that we have.

“I don’t think there are changes that are going to happen. They embrace the brand, they embrace the company, they embrace the people,” he said. “It will continue. They embrace the growth path. In fact, we will be more aggressive.”

Dave & Buster’s is located at the third floor of Opus in Bridgetowne, Quezon City. — Joseph L. Garcia