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eureka dog online casino Sari Sari by Vinta: Serving the El Nido community with affordable eats
This is why retired trader Dondi Santillan left the city and moved to El Nido to open Sari Sari by Vinta and serve affordable meals to the community
El Nido, Palawan is lauded for its laid-back appeal and beautiful beaches —one of which has consistently made it to Conde Nast’s best beaches in the world list. Like many popular beach towns that receive a large number of tourists, the cost of living can shoot up, leaving locals in a tight spot.
But a Manila couple’s decision to leave the city life behind and start a new life in El Nido set them off on a mission to provide meals at prices El Nido locals can afford.
sizzling hot free gameDondi Santillan has worked for various banks for over 30 years immediately after graduating from college. “I was a trader and eventually found my way to New York and then Singapore where I met my wife. In 2012, we decided to move back to the Philippines and I worked for a local bank. I was scheduled to retire in 2023 from my job in Manila,” he says.
“In El Nido, food choices are limited and can be quite expensive as most businesses in El Nido cater almost exclusively to tourism. What makes living in El Nido compelling is the lifestyle and community,” says Dondi SantillanHe and his wife agreed they didn’t want to stay in Manila after his retirement. “We traveled to El Nido for the first time in March 2022 as travel restrictions eased up. We rented scooters and went all over the island. We instantly fell in love with the community and lifestyle and made a decision that this was the place we wanted to live after my retirement.”
When comparing life in Manila to El Nido, Santilla immediately noticed the difference between the two. “El Nido and Manila are stark opposites,” he says. “For it to work out [living in] in El Nido, you have to sort of be self-reliant and creative. In El Nido, food choices are limited and can be quite expensive as most businesses in El Nido cater almost exclusively to tourism. What makes living in El Nido compelling is the lifestyle and community.”
The peak season for tourism in El Nido is from December to February when the island gets cooler and experiences less rain. For many of the establishments to survive the rest of the year when there are less tourists, they set their prices higher than usual to sustain the business through the leaner months.
Upon realizing this situation, Santillan and his wife Chiara decided they wanted to put up an eatery that can target locals that stay here all year long. “The main problem in El Nido is variety and value as most businesses cater to tourism. We wanted to address this by opening a community restaurant that catered more to the local and expat community by providing food at a price point between a carinderia and tourist prices. We wanted to target an unfilled demographic.”
“As the name implies, we serve a variety of cuisines like, but not limited to, Indian, Japanese, Szechuan, and of course Filipino. At least 80 percent of our clients are locals”Santillan put up the eatery inside Kalye Artisano—a community center that includes a school, stores, a cafe, and other establishments—and called it Sari Sari by Vinta. “As the name implies, we serve a variety of cuisines like, but not limited to, Indian, Japanese, Szechuan, and of course Filipino. At least 80 percent of our clients are locals,” he explains.
The restaurant sits inside a thatched roof hut with a colorful mural. In a tree shaded area of Kalye Artisano, millionaire’s vines hang down to lend a beautiful setting for the eatery. Sari Sari by Vinta keeps their prices low by keeping their overhead down. Santillan, his wife, and brother-in-law Enzo Gana all put in time to keep the restaurant running.
“We delegate tasks based on our passions and strengths,” he shares. “I primarily handle food conceptualization and dish development while my wife and brother-in-law manage service and operations. This business model works because we are all proactively contributing to ensure quality control and create a welcoming experience for our guests.”
The menu changes often as their main diners eat there regularly. Some of the popular dishes include Szechuan dan dan noodles, Taiwanese scallion noodles, fried chicken, crispy adobo flakes, and Japanese katsu curry.
By targeting the locals and expats that live on the island, Sari Sari by Vinta has a more stable and constant income that isn’t affected by the seasonality of the tourist wave. Their prices can also remain consistent to serve the community they are proud to be part of.
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