THE BEST OF THE YEAR THAT WAS
The countdown begins for the Philippines’ best new products launched by restaurants in 2006.
By Adolf Aran, Jr.

The year 2006 was full of exciting new products for the restaurant business, from quick service or fast food, to casual dining, from bakeshops to fine dining restaurants based in hotels. For consumers like us, we know that new products are what makes us try out new dining places and what makes us keep coming back. Without it, dining out would be a bore and predictable, which could spell either customer delight or zero repeat business for the food business.

So, drum roll please, here are the crème de la crème, the best new products of 2006!

1. KFC’s Chicken Barbecue, Chicken Tempura and Orange Chicken. Just when you thought that fried chicken cannot be re-invented anymore, KFC has come up with not one, not two, but three great twists to fried chicken. Pinoy or Japanese, with Java rice or in a Bento meal set, KFC is this year’s winner in innovation. You know that you have raised the bar of innovation when your major competitors flatter you by imitating your recently launched products.

2. What is this Pampanga delicacy called sisig doing in a Greenwich Pizza? What was a very successful product a year ago, the Sisig Pizza was recently re-launched by Greenwich, with its continuing effort to establish itself as the Filipino pizza brand, introducing home-grown concepts such as the Sisig Pizza. Try it and you’ll know why this Kapampangan dish will make you want to have a second serving of pizza.

3. Innovation is a continuing pursuit, at least for the two leading pizza chains. Shakey’s Grand Slam is a four-flavors-in-one 18â€