SITUATED along Antipolo’s sweeping Sumulong Highway, Robinsons Antipolo has stood in its spot since 2014. Last year, it doubled its retail space by adding an extension. Last week, it threw a lunch with over 20 of its participating restaurant tenants stuffing media guests full.
On Nov. 9, Robinsons Antipolo took offerings from each of its tenants and served it at the Buffeast, a massive buffet set up by the mall’s Christmas tree. Participating vendors included familiar favorites like Nono’s, Manam, Tong Yang, Botejyu, Ramen Nagi, Prime Steakhouse, BLK 513, JCO, Tiger Sugar, Serenitea, Mary Grace, Teresita’s by Razon’s, Shakey’s, Peri Peri, Hapchan, Ineng’s BBQ, Gerry’s Grill, and Classic Savory. Noticeable among these tenants were local Antipolo haunts that have found new homes in the mall: these include Theo and Miguel (serving Asian fusion), Marisons (modern Filipino), and Romeo’s (classic Filipino; we recommend their callos).
Roseann Villegas, Robinsons Land Corp. Director for Corporate Public Relations, discussed the mall’s architecture with BusinessWorld. Asked if each mall’s design is specific to its location, Ms. Villegas said, “We try to blend where we are. If you notice, there’s a lot of open spaces, and you can see the (greenery) from inside.”
The mix of tenants for the Buffeast (as in the eastern part of Luzon where Rizal province is) is to emphasize the stores in the extension, she said. With the extension, there are now over 400 partners within the mall, including the cinema and the food courts at the top level. Of note is the presence of local businesses in the mall, giving a boost to micro, small, medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the area. Ms. Villegas said, however, “We’re here to help regardless if it’s small, medium, or national brands. We’re here to serve our mallers, and that’s the best way to keep them happy.” She also pointed out the fact that the mall is pet-friendly, noting that they were one of the first malls to implement pet-friendly policies (and we saw at least three dogs during the mall walkthrough).
Robinsons Antipolo is being billed as a foodie destination, as implied in the event’s name. But that is not unusual — “Robinsons Malls are really known to be foodie malls,” said Ms. Villegas, citing the restaurants in Robinsons Magnolia and Galleria as examples. “We’d like to be remembered for celebrations, for gatherings.” — Joseph L. Garcia