General Santos city is a foodie haven. This is a fact that has been written for the nth time. Despite the usual, GenSan has more on its plate than we can imagine. Case in point is this quaint chicken hauz aptly named Chicken Hauz that serves one of the best tasting garlic chicken on this side of the map.
Let’s go back some 55 years ago when couple Agosto and Teresa Fernandez decided to open a restaurant in GenSan. The economy then was slowly increasing its phase and the city was slowly welcoming investors. A best time to invest? Well, for the Fernandez, it was.
The first Chicken Hauz was located at Magsaysay avenue, General Santos City. Of why it was named such, they serve a hefty selection of delectable chicken dishes, of course. It was that simple. What began as an experiment turned out to be a favourable business venture for the couple, their children and generation to come.
Despite the present day fame, it was not all triumph and success for the family. Down the trail, they’ve lost patrons because of competitors — an obvious business trait, yes. But one that took them and almost shattered their dream was when their forst branch was burned down. Instead of sulking over the loss, they stood up and rose above the tragedy. They rebuilt their restaurant and made sure that the building, structure and everything else was fit to withstand any possibility of disaster.
Nowadays, Fernandez’s daughter, Chikki, handles the day to day operations of their restaurants. At 25, Chikki has come a long way for their family business. A graduate of Food Technology from UP Mindanao, she steers the wheel in ensuring that Chicken Hauz remains to be a favourite by locals, visiting locals and foreigners alike.
Aside from their crow favourite garlic chicken, Chicken Hauz also has a plethora of choices on their menu. Of them, the crowd enjoys munching on their tuna steak, vegetables, fried and buttered chicken, beef lengua estofado, beef papait, lechon kawali, chicken barbeque, tinolang manok, pancit guisado and the their take on the classic, tuna kinilaw.
Chicken Hauz has two existing branches and are located at Laurel St., General Santos City (552-2542 / 09256675560) and Magsaysay Avenue, General Santos City (301-0700 / 09228391216).
TRC Speaks: Who does not love chicken? Whatever recipe cooked with chicken is a sure fire hit to everyone who is and who is not hungry. The aroma itself is enough to make you yearn for a cup — or two!– of rice. At the Chicken Hauz, not only do you get to savour their dishes but more so spend quality time with the locals. Here, everyone who dines is considered family — not just mere patrons. So, when in GenSan, think of some hot off the pan garlic chicken and your sense will lead you to the best place in town.
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Happy eating, Royals!
