foodpanda CRAVE Awards 2026 | Bacolod Food Brands Shine

foodpanda CRAVE Awards 2026

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Bacolod Food Brands Shine at foodpanda CRAVE Awards 2026

Bacolod’s vibrant food culture is gaining even more recognition as three homegrown food brands emerged among the awardees at the foodpanda CRAVE Partner Summit & Awards 2026, showcasing how local restaurants are combining culinary identity, business innovation, and digital reach to grow beyond their traditional markets.

The recognition came during the Visayas leg of the foodpanda CRAVE 2026 summit and awards in Cebu, where Bacolod-based merchants were recognized for outstanding sales performance, marketing initiatives, and operational excellence.

More than simply celebrating successful restaurants, the awards highlight how digital platforms are helping local food entrepreneurs connect with more customers while building businesses from their home city.

foodpanda CRAVE Puts Bacolod’s Food Entrepreneurs in the Spotlight

Bacolod has long been recognized for its distinctive food culture, with local specialties and homegrown restaurants attracting both residents and visitors.

For Patricia Jacinto, Director for Growth and Marketing at foodpanda Philippines, the city presents an opportunity to help local entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level.

“Bacolod has such a distinct and celebrated food culture, and our goal is to actively power the growth of the local entrepreneurs behind it,” said Jacinto.

She noted that combining the culinary expertise of local kitchens with foodpanda’s ecosystem and insights can help businesses reach broader audiences, scale beyond their physical dining rooms, and build sustainable operations from their home turf.

The message resonates strongly with the three Bacolod brands recognized at the foodpanda CRAVE Awards 2026.

Ribshack Earns Top-of-Table Recognition

Leading the Bacolod awardees is Ribshack, which received the Pau-Pau’s Top of Table – Bronze Award for strong sales performance and market leadership.

Ribshack began as a small family-owned stall in Bacolod in 2012. From its humble beginnings, the brand has expanded nationwide while retaining the grilled favorites that helped establish its identity.

Among its best-known offerings are its Spare Ribs and Chicken Inasal, reflecting the bold grilled flavors that have become closely associated with the Negros food experience.

Its recognition at the awards demonstrates how a local food concept can evolve into a larger brand while maintaining the flavors and identity that made it popular in the first place.

Mom Rose Restaurant & Grill Gains Brand Spotlight

Another Bacolod favorite, Mom Rose Restaurant & Grill, received the Pau-Pau’s Brand Spotlight – Silver Award.

The award recognizes the restaurant’s innovative marketing initiatives, consistent growth, and strong partnership with foodpanda.

Built around beloved family recipes, Mom Rose is known for its charcoal-grilled Lechon Manok and Chicken Sisig, among other offerings.

Its story reflects an increasingly important reality for local restaurants: having a strong product is only one part of building a successful food brand. Reaching customers effectively and adapting to changing dining habits are equally important.

Through digital platforms, established restaurants can create additional opportunities for customers to discover and order their food.

Got Tea? Wins for Operational Excellence

Completing Bacolod’s trio of awardees is Got Tea? Crafted Milk Tea, which took home the Operational Excellence – Silver Award.

The award recognizes the brand’s ability to maintain strong operational standards and reliable service.

What began as a milk tea concept has developed into a multi-location fast-casual destination offering more than its signature beverages. Its menu has expanded to include pizzas, pastas, and desserts, giving customers more reasons to visit and order.

The recognition highlights another critical component of restaurant success: maintaining consistency as a business expands.

How Digital Platforms Are Changing Bacolod’s Food Scene

The foodpanda CRAVE recognition of these three brands comes as Bacolod’s food industry continues to adapt to changing consumer behavior.

For today’s customers, discovering a restaurant can happen on a smartphone just as easily as it can through word of mouth. Convenience, accessibility, digital visibility, and delivery options have become part of the modern dining experience.

For food entrepreneurs, this creates opportunities to reach customers beyond the immediate vicinity of their physical establishments.

The growth of digital ordering also allows local brands to remain rooted in Bacolod while reaching audiences who may be outside their traditional customer base.

Local Flavor Meets Digital Scale

What makes the Bacolod awardees particularly noteworthy is that their growth stories remain connected to their local roots.

Ribshack grew from a Bacolod stall into a nationwide brand. Mom Rose continues to build its identity around family recipes and familiar Filipino flavors. Got Tea? expanded beyond its original milk tea concept into a broader fast-casual offering.

Their experiences show that digital transformation does not necessarily mean abandoning a brand’s local character.

Instead, technology can provide another avenue for Bacolod food businesses to amplify what they already do well.

foodpanda CRAVE Highlights a Growing Opportunity for Local Brands

The awards also point to a larger opportunity for Bacolod’s food entrepreneurs.

The city’s culinary reputation gives local businesses a strong foundation, but digital accessibility can help transform local popularity into broader market reach.

The combination of good food, strong branding, operational discipline, and digital presence is becoming increasingly important in a competitive food industry.

For emerging entrepreneurs, the success of Bacolod’s awardees offers an encouraging example: businesses do not necessarily need to leave the city to pursue growth.

They can build their brands in Bacolod, preserve their local identity, and use digital channels to introduce their products to a much wider audience.

Bacolod’s Food Future Is Local—and Digital

The foodpanda CRAVE Awards 2026 recognition of Ribshack, Mom Rose Restaurant & Grill, and Got Tea? Crafted Milk Tea is more than a celebration of individual businesses.

It reflects the continuing evolution of Bacolod’s food scene.

The city’s culinary identity remains firmly rooted in its local flavors and entrepreneurial culture. But as consumers increasingly discover, order, and engage with food brands digitally, the definition of a successful local restaurant is also changing.

For Bacolod, that creates an exciting possibility: local food can stay local at heart while reaching a much bigger world.

And if the latest CRAVE recognitions are any indication, Bacolod’s homegrown food entrepreneurs are already proving that they are ready for that next chapter.