 Logo | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Filipino cuisine |
| Founded | 1985; 40 years ago (1985) |
| Founders | Dwight Salcedo Dolores Salcedo |
| Headquarters | Quezon City,Philippines |
Number of locations | 500+ (2025) |
Area served | Philippines |
| Products | Lechon manok Liempo |
| Website | www |
Baliwag Lechon Manok (also known asBaliwag Lechon Manok at Liempo) is a Filipino restaurant chain that specializes inroasted chicken andpork. The company was established in 1985 and has over 500 outlets across thePhilippines.
Dwight and Dolores Salcedo founded the company in 1985.[1][2] Before opening the restaurant, the couple owned a video rental shop called "Sarah Betamax" in Project 8,Quezon City.[2] They noticed that roasted chicken was becoming popular in their neighborhood.[3] The couple used the empty space in front of their video shop to open a food stall.[3] They started the business with a capital of₱10,000.[3] Half of this money came from a loan from their parents.[2]
The name "Baliwag" honors the hometown of Dolores Salcedo, which isBaliwag,Bulacan.[3] The founders used the letter "W" in the name instead of "U" (Baliuag) to make the brand name look different.[2] The video rental business eventually closed, and the couple focused only on the food business.[2]
The business grew from street kiosks into shopping mallfood courts and restaurants.[1] By 2021, the chain had more than 400 kiosks and 40 food court branches.[1] Later, the founders' daughter, Sarabeth Salcedo Soriano, became the Vice President for Operations.[3][2]
The main products are Filipino-stylerotisserie chicken and pork belly.[4] The founders developed the marinade recipe using herbs and spices.[2] The food is sold with aliver sauce andatchara (pickled papaya).[4]
Street kiosks usually cook the meat using charcoal.[2] Branches inside malls use electric machines because of smoke regulations.[2] The company says these machines try to copy the taste of charcoal cooking.[2]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, the company began selling frozen food packs.[1] These packs included ready-to-heat dishes likesisig,binagoongan,beef steak,kare-kare,beef caldereta,dinuguan,embutido andlaing.[3] The chain also sells fried pork items likebagnet andchicharon.[4]
In September 2022, the company received criticism regarding a job advertisement.[5] A job post for a "grill man" stated that applicants must not have tattoos.[5] Social media users called the rule discriminatory.[5] The company issued an apology for the mistake and stated that they do not discriminate against people with tattoos.[5]