SAN LEANDRO, Bay Area—“Fun and food with family and friends” summarizes what the owners of Smiling Jack Station want for their restaurant business. They may have just struck the right formula for attracting the mainstream American market because these two ingredients – fun and food – are what usually bring all kinds of people together. Conveniently located and accessible through I-880, I-580 and I-238, this East Bay city’s Smiling Jack Station is becoming a popular hangout among Fil-Ams who love to meet new friends while enjoying superb food and music.
Formerly known as Straw Hat Pizza, Smiling Jack retained its pizza menu with enhancements that incorporate popular Filipino dishes such as adobo and sisig pizza flavors. Aside from the Filipino cuisine staples – lumpia, crispy pata, pancit and sinigang – they have also included seafood boil in their main menu to attract ‘boiling crab’ lovers who have had to drive all the way to San Jose just to enjoy a sumptuous seafood feast.
“We aim to provide the best-tasting food to our customers because we believe that it’s the main reason why they will keep coming back,” Ramon Aranzamendez said. Coming from a family of restaurant owners and culinary experts, Aranzamendez brings his own food business experience and management expertise together with three other owners.
After acquiring the business in May last year, the restaurant was given a face lift to provide an ambience that is more family-oriented than ever before. With its mini-recreational center, families and friends can enjoy a game of billiards, foosball, and darts, or simply watch a sports game on widescreen televisions. A spacious banquet room that can accommodate up to 120 people is also available for group gatherings.
According to one of Smiling Jack owners, Monette Toverada, “We want our restaurant to be a hangout place for the community. We encourage fundraising events, after-school activities, and social gatherings of civic and religious groups. We invite business groups for meetings and networking events to help promote entrepreneurship within our community. We welcome all types of group activities that will bring fun and excitement to our restaurant. And we also help cause-oriented groups promote their community programs.”
In 2012, Smiling Jack will be introducing a seafood brunch buffet and many other interesting food item. Aside from the regular weekend karaoke nights on Fridays and Saturdays, it has also lined up different events every month to keep reminding their customers of their year-round fun-and-food theme.
Last year, Smiling Jack sponsored mini concerts of Filipino talents, which attracted more new customers. However, the owners would also want to be recognized by the mainstream American market so they have also invited other non-Filipino artists as well. To celebrate the coming of the New Year, for instance, Smiling Jack hosted a Masquerade Party on December 31 for revelers of all ethnicities.
Even with so many businesses closing down due to the recession, Smiling Jack Station hopes to survive the crisis by building and sustaining a momentum that will boost their image as the most exciting hangout place in the East Bay. With fun and food as their general theme and main attraction, the growing Filipino American communities and their friends in the surrounding areas can look forward to a great way to connect with each other through fun and exciting events in the months ahead.