AN egg sandwich may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but if you’re a fan of K-anything (that is, Korean pop culture), the Philippine franchise of Korean egg sandwich shop Eggdrop just might tickle your fancy.
“I first became exposed to the brand because of Hospital Playlist, the K-drama,” said Stewart Ong, President of Butter and Salt Group, Inc., the same company that brought in M (Magnolia) Bakery and St. Ali Coffee to the Philippines. “This kid was eating it; parang ang sarap-sarap (it looked so delicious).”
BusinessWorld got a taste of its egg sandwich during a preview on Dec. 17 (it’s now open to the public at the SM Mall of Asia). Ours came with a few strips of bacon and a special sauce that Mr. Ong told us was made of sriracha and ranch. It was a bit too sweet for our taste, but it already has its captive market with Filipinos struck by K-fever. We also had one of their cold Strawberry Lattes, basically a cool dessert in a cup, but we have no complaints.
Another hook would be the price: The cheapest sandwich, made up of a scrambled egg, cheese, and the sauce, would cost about P140, and adding more trimmings would bring you up to about P205. Their coffees and other drinks cost about P100 and up. And yet, there’s no scrimping on the ingredients: we found the bread excellent (Mr. Ong credits this to really good butter).
As for the eggs, “While doing the R&D, I didn’t know that in the Philippines, walang (there are no) certified organic eggs,” said Mr. Ong. “There are a lot of farms that do organic practices, so we made sure to use (cage-free) premium brown eggs.
“The beauty, I think, is in the simplicty” of the sandwiches, he added.
They’re planning to open one or two stores in the first or second quarter of this year, with the next location in BGC’s High Street.
South Korea has 290 Eggdrop branches, and the Philippines is only its second overseas location (their first venture outside Korea was in Thailand). Mr. Ong noted that “Korea is a top destination now among Filipinos. We’re the top consumer of K-pop, K-drama. I think anything Korean now would resonate well with Filipinos.”
Looking at Butter and Salt’s portfolio, we figured out something: Mr. Ong has a sweet tooth. “Yes!” he said when we asked him. He’s bringing in another sweet brand, the milk tea brand machimachi. “I have to be a fan first, before I bring it here,” he said of the franchises he chooses. “The brands that we have, hindi kami mahihiya (we won’t be embarrassed) to share it with customers.”
Eggdrop is located at Level 1, North Main Mall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. — Joseph L. Garcia