Cafe Mary Grace is currently one of the favorite cafes of thousands of Filipinos, including me.
I was one of their first customers when they opened a tiny kiosk at the old Podium Mall in Mandaluyong.
They were selling two kinds of products at that time, buttery ensaymada and cheese roll. Those days, I found their price for a cheese roll expensive, but I bought it anyway, pero I never bought a box. I would only buy two pieces, one for Oyen, and one for Nyke.
Their success is truly impressive. From kiosk selling ensaymada and cheese roll, to a full service restaurant with delicious pastas, salads, cakes, etc. serving thousands upon thousands of customers daily. They presently have 142 branches, combination of kiosks and cafes.
My daughter’s favorite in their menu is Spicy Lemon Shrimp Scampi Pasta. I like the Sardines with Black Olives pasta.
One of their top-grossing branch is the one in St. Luke’s Hospital BGC. They have a captured market, the patients and their families or companions, doctors, nurses, hospital employees, and other visitors.
Monday, while waiting for Oyen and the newborn baby, Edmund and I had merienda at their cafe in St. Luke’s. We both had pasta, Lemon Scampi for him and Sardines with Black Olives for me.
Here’s my happy photo. Please count the number of shrimps in Edmund’s plate. Four. The photo on their menu shows five pieces.
The next day, August 26, Edmund and I ate at Via Mare and yet I took out Lemon Scampi Pasta from Mary Grace for my daughter. I also bought a whole Almond Sans Rival Cake for Edmund, with a candle and a Happy Birthday sign.
Here it is. Please count the number of shrimps. Three.
Let’s review: Five pieces of shrimps are shown in all their menus and posters, four pieces when you dine in, and three pieces when you take out.
I was surprised to see there were only three pieces of hipon on Oyen’s take out tray.
As an ordinary diner, I base my information on visuals. Simply put, I expect to see on my plate what’s shown in the photo. I personally think that we, customers, expect that what we see is what we will get.
The next day, I was in St. Luke’s Hospital again. I went back to Mary Grace and ask about the number of shrimps that they put in the orders. I was curious ano ba talaga. Lima according to the photos, apat, according to our dine in experiences, or tatlo, according to what my daughter got last night.
I already expected what they were going to say. The number of shrimps is based on weight. They claimed that the shrimps served to my husband were smaller hence he got four pieces, while the take out had bigger shrimps kaya tatlo lang daw. Hmmm. I took photos and had seen up close and personal my husband’s hipon. They were in fact the same or even slightly bigger than those in Oyen’s take out.
According to Mary Grace’ branch manager, they get two batches of deliveries from their commissary daily because their branch nga is so malakas.
I told her, the more that their commissary will not have time to weigh three shrimps, ‘oh mataba kayo, tatlo lang”. Oh eto, medyo payat, gawin kong apat, medyo mabigat kayong apat, o tatlo na lang.”
I am sorry but I don’t buy that alibi.
The male restaurant manager was very polite and nice. Ms. Mheann Runes, cafe head of Mary Grace in St. Luke’s contacted me about the hipon and she was nice and patient too.
I said, I will not fight over one shrimp. However, just like most customers, I look at the menu photos and I base my order on what I see, and I expect to get the same as what’s shown in the photo.
Ano ba talaga, lima, apat, or tatlong hipon?
Their website says “the size depends on the season.” Is this the same as their explanation that the number of shrimps vary depending on the weight? We’re not talking about the size.
Shrimps or prawns are farmed. We now have regular supply of shrimps whole year round. There is no season. Only supply and demand, and price. But since Mary Grace orders million pesos worth of shrimps, the price should not fluctuate within the day. Apat nung tanghali, tatlo na lang nung gabi. Mataba kanina, mamaya pumayat na.
If this is on a per gram basis, then they should put a notice on the menu “The NUMBER of hipon may vary depending on the weight.”
To avoid confusion and to remove any doubt, there must be consistency as to the number of shrimps (quantity) and the sizes (quality).
The next day, I ate there again, and took out Lemon Scampi for Oyen. i expected to see three shrimps on my plate and in hers. I was right. We each got three.
All said, we still like Cafe Mary Grace, and will still order their delicious pastas.
