RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of the restaurant row along Valeria Street in Iloilo City is a name recognized by many Ilonggos: Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy. A usual stopover for shoppers who do their daily groceries in the nearby supermarkets and malls, this frequently jam-packed branch is one of the many that had sprung up in the busy streets of Iloilo City serving La Paz batchoy, a famous Ilonggo specialty.
Batchoy, a dish thought to have originated from the Chinese community in La Paz, Iloilo—hence the name—is a noodle soup made up of pork organs, crushed pork cracklings, shrimp, vegetable, chicken stock, chicken breast, beef loin and round noodles.
In 1945, Teodorico “Ted” Lepura, the founder of the 64-year old diner, opened his first La Paz batchoy shop using his savings of only ten pesos.A 5x5 stall made of nipa and bamboo at the La Paz Public Market in Iloilo City, the first Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy was managed and run by Mr. Lepura, his wife and their children.At that time, they only sold the “original” La Paz Batchoy priced at 20 centavos per bowl.
Mr. Lepura’s love affair with the famous Ilonggo dish started in the 1930s when, as a teenager, he took on various odd jobs to help support his siblings.He learned the basics of making La Paz batchoy while working for a Chinese merchant, and eventually perfected his own version of the dish—the same one being served in his restaurants today.
The young Mr. Lepura decided to include his new dish in the other items he was peddling, and it became an instant hit that gained him several loyal customers, prompting him to put up his first stall after the Second World War.
By the late 1960s, Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy had introduced new varieties using other types of noodles: miswa batchoy, sotanghon batchoy, and bihon batchoy were added in the menu. These days, diners at Ted’s can have their batchoy three ways: special, super special, and extra super, and pair it with either puto or pan de sal. Hefty appetites can opt for combo meals dubbed as “Namit Meals” (delicious in Hiligaynon) with rice, a viand (barbecued or fried chicken, pork chop, sisig, or bangus), and a small bowl of Ted’s trademark La Paz batchoy.
Until a few years ago, customers at Ted’s would be welcomed by a friendly service crew who would rapidly jot down their order. But even with its recent shift to self-service, Ted’s still maintained the number of loyal patrons who dine in one of its branches everyday.
The popularity of his first outlet paved the way for a second restaurant in downtown Iloilo city in the 1980s, which was followed by more branches in nearby provinces.“We’ve reached Bacolod City, Roxas City and Kailbo. We’ve also opened our first restaurant in Metro Manila—at SM Southmall in Las Pinas,” says Mr. Alexis Borro, administrative head of Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy.
Mr. Lepura’s daughter, Adelfa Lepura Borro, is the woman behind the continuous expansion.Trained as a cook, Ms. Borro took it upon herself to oversee the restaurant’s operations, eventually bringing it to key cities outside Iloilo.
Ms. Borro is first to admit that entering a market that has been monopolized by fastfood chains was not easy.“The most difficult part was to introduce La Paz batchoy to non-Ilonggos.We had to educate the market on what an original oldtimer La Paz batchoy is, how it is supposed to look and taste like,” she said.
When Ted’s set up shop in Metro Manila, majority of its customers were either Ilonggos or those who have visited Iloilo City and tried the dish there.With a little patience, however, it was able to penetrate the mainstream dining market of the metro. Ted’s now enjoys patronage from ordinary mall-goers who want to have a taste of the popular regional especialty.
Having a head office in Iloilo, at a time when the business was rapidly expanding in the metro, also proved to be a challlenge for the province-based company, especially when a real time assessment of an outlet is had to be conducted—a dilemma that was quickly solved by setting up a satellite office in Metro Manila to support the operations of its outletsin the capital.
Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy is set to open four new branches around the country this year, including one in Tagaytay and another in Bacolod, along with four franchise outlets in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and in San Jose, Antique.Ted’s currently has 31 stores all over the Philippines, with twenty branches and 11 franchise outlets.