BREAKING

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Dampa Express Continues to Serve Seafood-loving Pinoys Inspite of the Pandemic


Wazzup Pilipinas!

When most establishments have closed down, or laid-off a significant number of their manpower because of the crippling pandemic that limited everyone's movement and activities, Dampa Express is getting  bigger and better in the "New Normal," or should I say "Better Normal?"

Owner Simon Lim, Jr, who continues to hold the title of "Dampa King" has admitted that they have to lose some employees but it is not as big compared to the others. Let me remind you that there were news of a popular fastfood chain closing down a great deal of its branches, but Dampa Express is still at 20+ branches at the moment.


At an opportunity to interview the two partners who share ownership of Dampa Express (available on the Wazzup Pilipinas YouTube channel) we got to know them more intimately as we asks question after question. This happened at their Don Antonio branch in Quezon City.

The only reason we stopped our chat with them was to partake of the sumptuous dishes served infront of us. We could hardly wait to taste their seafood specialties mostly served in "bilaos."

Seafood has always been my favorite especially at every buffet or feast. It will always be my first choice when given the opportunity to choose among the different viands available.

Dampa Express is now thriving in this particular food specialty even during this Corona virus pandemic. We do know that the consumption of food is one of the basic necessities, and that we could never let go of eating no matter how serious a virus may threaten us.

Thus it is no surprise that Dampa Express continues to grow and expand to more branches. People could ask for their food as take-out or for delivery, if ever they are too afraid for dine-in.

Partnered with delivery apps, you can have their food delivered to your homes for convenience, or for take-out.

To get to know more, please watch this video interview with the owners


https://youtu.be/yYMsb1vTnsc

There are more videos on our Facebook fan page too




Dampa Express continues to live up to its name as your go-to place for affordable, fast, and convenient seafood a la carte treats even during and despite the pandemic!

“Our strength is that we’ve tried to do away with all the inconveniences and complications of most seafood restaurants,” owner Dampa King Simon Lim, Jr, explained. “We’ve dared to go against the trend of posh high-brow exclusivity.

“Our outlets are not fancy restaurants, so people feel welcome and comfortable, but they’re air-conditioned. And, we have an enclosed videoke room for small family gatherings, like birthdays and baptismal celebrations.”

We tried their oysters, mussels, crabs, clams, baby squids and shrimps for lunch, and I'm still full until now. I guess I'm skipping dinner tonight.


Making Seafood Accessible to People

“Customers do not have to spend too much money on live seafood, worry about picking the right shellfish or getting the weight of crabs for your family, and wait a long time for your orders to be cooked.”

All customers need to do is visit one of their going on 30 branches, including those that are soon to open, and order from an exciting menu of family-sized seafood sets. 

If they’re afraid to go out or travel—or are worried of catching COVID-19 in wet markets for fresh seafood to cook at home—they can simply dial Dampa Express’ hotline or message them for home deliveries!

“We want customers to feel comfortable. So, we advise them to make reservations if they plan to dine in on Fridays and Sundays because they might not find enough seats if they walk-in.”

However, note that Dampa Express meals are priced and prepared for families. It’s known as the original house of seafood bilaos. “We have no solo meals and we do not compete with fast food outlets. We aren’t a fancy restaurant but we’ve intentionally veered away with fast food value meals and rice toppings.”

 




Banking on Seafood Being Pandemic-Proof

“What we have are bilao [large women tray] sets that at P1,100 is more than a bargain for 3 to 4 people!” shared the Dampa King. “And you can upsize that to a killer bilao, our top of the line bestseller, except for sauce-based dishes.” 

It’s interesting, however, that Dampa Express’s specialty, alimango sa bilao [crabs in large woven trays] was discovered by accident. 

“A lawyer friend ordered crabs and for lack of a better packaging for the crabs, had it delivered in a large woven tray. He took a picture of the generous serving and posted it on social media.” The post generated a lot of likes and bombarded him with inquiries, “so we started using that packaging to represent our brand.”

Now, alimango sa bilao gets from 50 to 100 orders on an ordinary day to 200-250 orders on special occasions like Mother’s Day, on holidays and during the Christmas season December, ringing in a total of P300K at its peak!

“If you’re curious what makes our cooking tick, there’s really no secret to it. We just cook seafood the dampa [cottage] style, plus we don’t stock. What’s delivered today will be out by end of the day. So, everything is as fresh as they can get.”

“The only thing we don’t have readily available are lobsters but these can be pre-ordered,” reveals the Dampa King.

Rising Demand for Seafood Deliveries

“I thought I'd lose everything during the pandemic, but to my surprise sales grew exponentially with greater demand for deliveries,” confessed the Dampa King. “It turned out that seafood is pandemic proof!”

“We’ve survived with group service, offering a lot of variations—we have shrimp in eight variations, and banking on seasonal demands. In January, for instance, when people are dieting meat dishes are on a low, so our tuna sales go up!” he explained.  

He acknowledges a great deal of this success on efficient and early deliveries, too. Just what the sensitive nature of seafood dishes need and for this, he says, “Grab is a real gamechanger!”

With only the Greenhills branch closing shop for reasons not related to the lockdown, the restaurant chain had to let go of 100 people overall given that branches had to temporarily suspend operations.

“I’m confident, however, that looking for new cooks and staff wouldn’t be hard because we offer more than the P160 per day and 1 free meal that other paluto [cooked to order] outlets give.”

Thus, Dampa Express continues to operate on 300 employees who receive the minimum wage plus all the government-mandated benefits they deserve as food service workers. 

“Despite the ECQ resulting in only half of our staff coming in to work, we just held on to the motto that as long as there are orders and people want seafood, we don’t stop,” avers the Dampa King.


Expanding after A Surprising Demand

Dampa Express wasn’t a childhood dream or a dream that took to long on the planning table. In fact, it was just a business enterprise that a Gold’s Gym marketing consultant, who rose up the ranks to vice president, got interested in.  

“I only wanted one restaurant for my wife, but fate had a different plan for me,” he remembers thinking along the lines of Gerry’s Grill or JT’s Manukan. They opened their first branch at Xavierville in Quezon City, before moving to a bigger location on Kamias Road, just a few hundred meters away.

“When we opened one branch, people really welcomed the idea that soon, everyone wanted a branch near their place—it was totally unexpected!” He nearly closed a deal with a Singapore-based restaurant operator before COVID-19 came. 

“The demand keeps on growing so much so that one prospect even offered an exorbitant amount that was really hard to refuse just to buy the name, but I thought it’s too early for that. Another one from Dubai wanted to get the full rights to put up branches in the UAE, which I declined,” narrates the Dampa King.

Now, this phenomenal brainchild of Simon Lim, Jr, and his best friend Ronald Iledan, is going on 30 branches, of which 10 are provincial franchises and 10 are company-owned. 

To date, Dampa Express serves around 2,000 customers daily in all their branches combined. “From the fruit of our labors, we’re able to open a private resort in Pampanga, with a giant crab image as tribute to our success: katas ng alimango [the fruit of selling crabs].”



After the festive seafood lunch at Dampa Express, the owners are now inviting you to try their offerings yourselves.


Holding the Title of Dampa King

“We make the biggest order for crabs in this part of the world. At one time, our orders reached P10.5M worth of crabs!”

This unprecedented success as an innovative seafood restaurant that pioneered “affordability, accessibility, and accelerated service” in the Philippines has earned Simon Lim, Jr, the title of Dampa King.

“The irony here is, I don’t cook and neither do I eat crabs,” he admitted. “I’ve been called Mr Alimango, Mr Dampa, Crab King, or Dampa King because I’ve successfully brought Dampa Express to communities and expanded on the dampa concept.”

Dampa Express now boasts the biggest number of branches among any Philippine seafood restaurants, making it the biggest seafood chain in the Philippines. As a result, the seafood resto business is now a multi-million industry.

The Dampa King’s success goes beyond the marriage of luck and business acumen—a feat that the media has praised for achieving the perfect balance in maintaining a day job as a gym employee and growing a business—to his earnest desire to help his staff and acquaintances grow with the business and to always buy local.

“I make it a point to source everything we use and serve from fellow Filipinos. For instance, all our itlog na maalat [salted duck’s egg] and bilao are from Pampanga. We’re 100% Pinoy to give back to the community.”

He still buys all of his vegetables from the ambulant vegetable vendor peddling on their street. “He used to go about pushing a cart then when he started supplying all Dampa Express branches, he was able to buy a pedicab and now, he’s driving a car!” 

Dampa Express is now accepting franchise and partnership applications nationwide and for overseas as well. For the full menu, reservation, delivery and more information, please call 0917 5311703 or +632 79441036 or visit @dampaexpress.official on Instagram and Dampa Express on Facebook.



Different Kinds of Plantito/Plantita Visualized


Wazzup Pilipinas!

My own version of a Certified Plantito/Plantita as inspired from a fellow gardening enthusiasts.

Katuwaan lang po, huwag seryosohin.. Nagising lang ng maganda mula sa mahimbing na pagkatulog. Isang magandang araw na naman para sa ating lahat!

Grateful for another life, but syempre bisita muna sa mga alagang halaman para sa photo ops with them.


The Water Bender

He used to be a member of the water tribe who learned how to plant yet still believes water is life. He loves his plants so much so he waters them every morning and afternoon. He doesn't want to see the soil dry but avoids the always using the chlorinated water from Manila Water. That's why he also has a big bucket to catch rainfall  so he'll have plenty of more nutrient-filled water for his plants.


The Plant Guru

He has learned a lot from joining all urban gardening groups on social media, has watched all YouTube videos about gardening and has Googled all terminologies, tips and everything essential to TLC gardening. Thus he can now share his knowledge to recent gardening enthusiasts.



The Innovator

He's Uber creative in using everything possible as pots. He can make everyday household items like softdrink it mineral water bottles, ice cream tubs, egg shells, banana peels, "hugas bigas",  etc. as useful gardening supply for either making pots, fertilizers, and other resourceful innovations.


The Chemist

He can concoct organic or synthetic pesticides from kitchen scrap to treat his plants against pests and insects. So you'll see him.mixing garlic, chili, and a little bit of dishwashing soap with water. He would often advise newbie gardeners "Just mix 25 ml to 1 liter of water"


The Sorcerer

He believes in the power of MSG or Monosodium Glutamate, trying out seemingly magical potions to ensure optimum growth for his plants. He'll try mixing everything his fellow Plantitos have tried on their plants... Rumored or testified accounts, anything for propagating his prized mother plants.


The Taxonomist

He can identify every plant you've seen on the road while walking or driving. He knows both common and scientific name of the plants which makes him more accurate than plant mobile apps.


The Miner

He is always updated on online plant and gardening supplies sales. He will troll all comments section and post "How much", "Mine, bro!",  "Please reserve two for me", "How much is the delivery fee?"


The Plant Whisperer

He talks to his plants believing they listen and talk back. He will always say "Good morning!" every early waking hours of the morning, even before brushing his teeth, and would say "I miss you, guys!" after coming back from work. It's his way of relieving his stress as the plants are good listeners.


The Oathbreaker

He would often say, "No more room for plants in my mini garden" or "I don't have the budget to buy more plants" but he will always come home with bought or bartered plants. He will take a peek at plant sales saying "Just curious"  but then after a few minutes you'll see him haggling with a vendor to lower the price of a plant.


The Boy Scout

Everytime he visits a friend, colleague or neighbors home, he comes prepared with a loot bag so he'll have something to easily take out and put the plants he targeted from their gardens or backyards. He would always ask for them as souvenirs. This is why a lot of Plantitos have tried their pet dogs near their precious plants to guard them from fellow Plantitos.


The Environmentalist/Recyclist

He is not ashamed to ask around for his neighbors unused plastic mineral water or softdrink bottles. Sometimes you'll see him waiting near the garbage dump for unsuspecting neighbors who'll be throwing their container waste. He does reduce the heaping trash because he brings them home to be recycled as pots.


The Chef

Growing your own food means cooking your own food too with ingredients harvested fresh from his vegetable garden. He'll have several recipes tried throughout the generous fruit-bearing seasons of his veggies, so he then had the opportunity doing cooking vlogs.


The Storyteller

He'll most of the times become creative and invent stories eluding to the reality. Deliveries will be received discreetly telling the delivery man to meet him at the gate, or to not be too noisy in calling out to him when his new seeds from Shopee or Lazada arrive.


The Master Barter
He productively exchanges his excess plants for food and other useful stuff. During this pandemic, being generous in giving away plants is a good trait, but getting something in exchange saves him a visit to the grocery store, and to keep his money to buy plant fertilizers instead. His favorite lines are " What can you offer in exchange?" and ""Location please"

#Plantito #Plantita #UrbanGardening #VegetableGardening #ContainerGardening #Vegetito #Vegetita #PlantMom #PlantDad

Blessed Carlo Acutis Beatified as Saint



Holiness is possible even in our modern time! 

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Meet Blessed Carlo Acutis. 

He owned a PlayStation.

He wore Nikes. 

He theoretically could have looked at memes. 

He just went on his way to sainthood. 

It’s official, Carlo Acutis is a Blessed! Agostino Cardinal Vallini proclaimed the Solemn Formula of Beatification for the Italian teenager best known for documenting Eucharistic miracles around the world and cataloguing them all onto a website: Ora pro nobis.


Hundreds came to pay tribute. His parents and siblings attended the ceremony and his heart was presented as a relic.

The Catholic Church now has a millennial Blessed who loved Super Mario, Pokémon, and above all the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. 

Born in London to Italian parents and moved back to Italy as a child. As a kid, he stood up for special needs friends being bullied at school. Computer whiz, gamer, wrote websites and catalogued eucharistic miracles.

He loved soccer, computer programming and had a deep devotion to the Eucharist. He was inspired by Blessed James Alberione to use the media for goodness and truth! 


There is a stunning sunset over Assisi after the beatification of Carlo Acutis. 

The first millennial to become "Blessed"! His life witnesses to the very real possibility of being holy in the digital age. Discover how his life answers modern questions about holiness.


This photo is objectively hilarious but it also makes me realize in a profound way how the possibility of sainthood is an ever present reality. I love the idea of gamer saint, and I also believe I will have a genuine devotion to the Blessed Carlo Acutis. 

Images of Carlo Acutis are everywhere you turn in Assisi this weekend.

I love that in all of these images Our Lord Himself is emphasized. That's the way Carlos would like it. All the saints lead us to Christ. All the saints with St John the Baptist say, "He must increase, I must decrease"





Carlo Acutis, a young man who documented Eucharistic miracles was beatified. A great example of a faith filled young person emphasising the centrality of the Eucharist, the ‘summit and source’ of our faith.

Blessed Carlo Acutis’ devotion to the Eucharist and life of heroic virtue show us holiness can be pursued in any time and at any age. We are all called to be saints. 

He died of leukemia in 2006 at age 15,  and was placed on the path to sainthood after the Vatican ruled he had miraculously saved another boy's life.

After Carlo died, his mother said he appeared to her in a dream and told her she would have two more children.  Four years after his death, Carlo's mother became pregnant with twins at age 44.   

Carlo Acutis had a nanny. His name is Rajesh. Rajesh was a Hindu. A deep friendship formed between him and Carlo to the point that the man converted to the Catholic faith. Rajesh recounts: Carlo "communicated to me and electrified me with his faith, his charity, and his purity" 

"To always be close to Jesus, that's my life plan." — Carlo Acutis

A pretty good one, if you ask me.

They had a beautiful Beatification Mass for him. Envious he is recognized.

If he can do it we also can. Daily reminder to strive for holiness, there’s nothing else out there for us, just Heaven. 

Carlo Acutis is declared Blessed by the Church. 

We do not know the day nor the hour. Let us be like Carlo and live for God so that one day we may join him in heaven. 

Carlo Acutis pray for us.


#BeatoCarloAcutis 

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