Having our cars, roads and traffic, too

A dear friend requests all her FB friends to repeat a post she was “moved” to write just before her departure for the United States. Staying with her brother in the heights of Antipolo, she noted how he had to leave home at 4:30 each workday morning to reach his workplace in Makati, with plenty of time to park his vehicle before all parking slots were taken. Then he would make the same harrowing trip back, arriving home at past 9 p.m. “This means,” she said, “that he hardly has time for his family, much less share dinner with them.”

Riding with her brother some mornings, my friend was forced to make arrangements with friends living in Makati to “board” with them from early morning to her lunch and afternoon appointments.

My friend is sure there is only one person to blame for the situation: P-Noy himself. “He sleeps soundly in his home near Malacañang without worrying about the public,” she rants, adding: “If he was concerned at all about the traffic problem, he would do something about and it would be solved.”

Well, I don’t know. Even if P-Noy tore out all of his thinning hair in frustration and impatience, things are not so easily solved in our choked and chaotic streets. But she is right in a way: How could things have been allowed to deteriorate so badly and so fast? And if traffic doesn’t kill us, it will certainly lead to our early deaths, what with high blood pressure resulting from the stress we must cope with every day.

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But let me remind my friend about the situation in her own adopted country. Visiting my sister and her family some years back, we heard stories about commuters picking up passengers (many of them strangers) in designated points just so they could take advantage of the special lanes reserved for “HOVs” or high-occupancy vehicles during high-traffic times.

In Virginia, the HOV minimum was set at three occupants, but in my friend’s home state of California, the HOV minimum was set at just two. “They do love their cars here,” a nephew explained when I laughed at the generous arrangement.

I don’t know if the HOV policy still exists in the United States, but just recently, a local version was suggested here: to allow only vehicles with at least three or four passengers to traverse Edsa.

I thought we Metro Manilans had reached our threshold of patience, but even this was quickly shouted down. I even overheard a self-proclaimed champion of commuters loudly protest the suggestion on radio, saying that “the roads belong to the people” and to restrict the use of major arteries was akin to depriving motorists of their rights.

But something’s got to give. We lack an extensive road network while the number of vehicles on our existing roads is fast approaching an unmanageable and unsustainable level. We all have to make sacrifices, but it seems we all want to have our cars, roads and “unli” access as well.

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“We’re a happy people and we eat all the time,” says Archie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Global Restaurant Concepts, the outfit that has brought a number of international restaurant brands to the Philippines. This is by way of explaining why his partners and investors have decided to bet on yet another US dining franchise: Applebee’s Grill and Bar, which has grown to be the largest casual dining brand in the world.

As Rodriguez tells it, it was DineEquity, the company behind Applebee’s, which also owns another Global franchise, the International House of Pancakes or IHOP, which approached him and his partners if they were interested in opening the first Applebee’s in the Philippines.

For sure, the “grill and bar” faces tough competition in the local market, since a number of other eating places already serve up much the same menu items and offer a similar ambience. What would set Applebee’s apart from its competitors?

“My partners and I use one guideline when deciding on a venture,” says Rodriguez, “and that is: Would we ourselves want to go there?”

This isn’t a minor consideration. Rodriguez says it takes about a year to develop a brand before they set up shop here, including having some of their personnel trained in the international chain’s headquarters and setting up a supply chain.

Another consideration, adds Rodriguez, is that the offerings have to have the potential of appealing to Filipino tastes, although he notes that locals’ “palates have changed and matured,” developing a liking even for unfamiliar flavors.

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During a food-testing (and tasting) last week, the Applebee’s staff indeed served up a wide-ranging feast, from the most popular items on the menu including the barbecue pork ribs and the burgers, presented in such unique combinations as burger tacos and quesadillas. Quite a pleasant surprise were the fried dumplings, which were authentically Asian-flavored, and not at all the bland “Americanized” version I was expecting. Also enjoyable was Applebee’s sangria, rich-flavored with red wine and orange juice, and infused with a variety of fruits including lemons and apples.

“We want to deliver good value,” avers Rodriguez, adding that in all their branches, they aim to keep the costs of their food at a reasonable P350-500 per head. “We’re much cheaper than everybody else,” he says, at least among their category.

Worldwide, Applebee’s slogan is “There’s always a reason to celebrate.” And given the price range and the quality of food served, indeed, there’s a reason for Pinoy families and foodies to celebrate, any day, every day.