Avin Ong, CEO of the Fredley Group of Companies, has a thriving food business, regularly feted for entrepreneurial excellence. The Fredley Group is behind such popular brands as Macao Imperial Tea, Liang Crispy Roll, New York Fries & Dips, Café and Maison Kitsuné, Hosaku International Buffet, Nabe Japanese Izakaya + Hot Pot, and Mitasu Yakiniku. Back in February 2021, The Manila Bulletin featured him as a prime mover of this nation’s food and beverage industry. Still aggressive during the first ECQ, he’s now operating over 250 stores nationwide.

With this second round of ECQ, the challenge of offering Shabu-Shabu/Yakiniku food concepts has had them diversify, improvise, and meet the challenge head-on. Both Shabu-Shabu and Yakiniku are all about participating in the cooking process, and making it an interactive, communal dining experience. How to recreate this experience at home, and still keep it both affordable and easy, was the crux of the problem. What they came up with are portable hotpot and grill sets, that can be used at home.

They’ve been the only ones to offer this, and my first hand experience of these portable hotpot and grill was an enjoyable one. From the comfort of home, I can say I was really pleased with my #NabeMoments, and my #MitasuExperience.

For Nabe, along with the portable hotpot (which brought things to a boil really quickly), I had the preparation of tonkatsu sauce to add to water and become the base soup, some tender slices of pork, choice pieces of chicken thigh, and assorted food balls. To give it a more authentic touch, from our own kitchen, I added vegetables to the pot - enoki and button mushrooms, lettuce, and gai-lan. I was transported! My taste buds were super-happy, as all the pre-mixed sauces worked to perfection.

The Mitasu experience was equally satisfying. We were given beef slices, two sets of different pork cuts, and I loved how we had the option of Ponzu or sweet sauces to indulge in. Just pour some cooking oil on the grill, and off we were, thinking we were experts in Yakiniku grilling. The meat was tender, filling, and we loved having the option of deciding on the doneness of what we’d eat.

For NYFD, Fredley has onboarded all their branches in top tier third party food aggregators, such as GrabFood and FoodPanda. If you’re a NYFD fan, look out for the three new promos that will be launched as their Early Christmas Treat - it promises to be flavorful surprises.

Liang Crispy Roll is the new "baby" in the group. Again, the main sales driver during ECQ, would be food aggregators. The key to the Crispy Roll success is the pancake batter - it’s fluffy, flaky and crispy all in one; a hybrid of paratha, roti, and pancake, once it’s cooked. You add the signature savory or sweet fillings of your choice, and you have a perfect mobile snack that you can enjoy at home, any time of the day. GrabFood and FoodPanda are the apps to head to for your first bite of these delicious rolls.

The Fredley e-store website, (order.Fredleygroup.com), is where to head to in order to enjoy these food treats. They’ve been working with food aggregators and digital payment platforms to make sure they’re present in practically every channel. If it’s about making their customers and newbies have an easy time accessing their food options, Fredley is right in the midst of the action.

Until the end of 2021, they even have active promotions that target vaccinated individuals. Check the aforementioned website for details. It’s all part of Fredley wanting to be more than just a food solution, and encouraging the whole citizenry to be part of the pandemic solution. It’s about thriving in the food business, and having loftier ambitions that go beyond the industry. We wish them the best of success!