Restaurant chain operator Figaro Coffee Group, Inc. (FCG) is moving forward with its expansion plans this year with the opening of 41 stores on its three brands as it sees the economy reopening this year.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the firm said it plans to open 29 Angel’s Pizza outlets, 6 The Figaro Group Express multi-brand outlets, 5 Figaro Coffee shops and 1 Tien Ma’s Taiwanese restaurant.

"We are optimistic that the economy will further improve this year with the Alert Levels coming down and vaccination drives by the government continuing with strength. We look forward to people going about their daily lives outside gradually and in a safe manner,” said FCG Chairman Justin Liu.

For the first quarter, FCG is set to open five Angel's Pizza stores located namely in Lipa, Batangas, Hanston Building in Ortigas Center, Cebu City, Calamba, Laguna and in Avida Towers Cityflex, BGC.

"The opening of outlets in BGC and Ortigas Business District is part of our optimism that offices and the economy will come back,” said Liu.

The company also expects continued growth and strength outside Metro Manila, such as its stores Lipa, Cebu and Laguna. "We will continue to grow our outlets to reach our beloved customers and meet them where they are,” he said.

As of January 21, 2022, Figaro Coffee Group operates a total of 109 stores. These include 56 Figaro coffee shops, 39 Angel’s Pizza outlets, 6 Tien Ma’s Taiwanese cuisine restaurants, 7 TFG Express outlets and 1 Café Portofino outlet.

Meanwhile, Figaro Coffee is hopping on the Ketogenic (Keto) diet bandwagon which promotes a low-carb diet focused on getting calories more from protein and healthy fats, as opposed to carbohydrates.

While there has been a growing number of people on a Keto diet, and many online sellers offering Keto products, it’s still not widely offered in Metro manila by mainstream restaurants and chains.

Seeing this need, especially from health-conscious customers, Figaro Coffee decided to develop some Keto-friendly pastries which were warmly received by their clients.

“In line with our focus on providing high-quality products at value-for-money prices, we also want to ensure our selection of pastries have something for everyone, even people who want to minimize carbohydrates or those who are Diabetic,” said Liu.

He noted that, “With proper focus on key ingredients and taste, it is very possible to offer healthy as well as delicious products.” Figaro Coffee’s R&D Chef Loren Lazar said “We developed two Keto products, namely, the Keto Coconut Tiramisu and our Sugar-free Keto Brownies.” “In creating these products, we ensured that we strictly followed the three main tenets of a Keto diet: One, using ingredients that are high in healthy fats. Two, the ingredients must have an adequate amount of protein. Three, sweetness must be minimal and using natural sweeteners like monk fruit, stevia and erythritol to make desserts tasty and guilt-free,” he explained.

Launched in Metro Manila stores early this year, the coffee chain looks to keep its Keto products a mainstay on the menu because of wide market acceptance.