Davao’s Backyard Burger opens in Cebu


Three years after going in and out of Cebu, Davao’s local brand - Backyard Burger - has finally settled in at The Coast in Archbishop Reyes Avenue, Cebu City.

“We were first here in Sinulog 2014, and every year after that. It was just a small kiosk. We pack up after the event and leave. Then, we found this spot (The Coast near Island Stay Hotel) here, so we decided to settle in,” said Juan Gadi, owner of Backyard Burger.

Juan, a native of Davao, earned his college education in Cebu. He is a nurse who makes cooking, his first love, a profession.

He said the main reason they opened their first branch in Cebu was because “Cebuanos love Backyard Burger”, based from the sales every time they were here in the past.

He said they always had long lines in their kiosks during Sinulog and in their booths in Sugbo Mercado in Cebu IT Park and SRP (which they had to close down for the opening of their permanent branch at The Coast last April 7).

While the brand sounds foreign, the owner said all their ingredients – from beef to spices – are local, sourced from the farms and business establishments in General Santos, Davao and Cebu.

Why Backyard Burger? Juan said he started it in his own backyard in their Davao home, where he mastered the recipe (inherited from his family), and decided to get a real commercial spot when the long queues of cars from costumers had started blocking the subdivision’s road. That was 2012, and five years after they have five branches, including the latest in Cebu.

“We did not expect it to become a business. Lingaw-lingaw ra sa among backyard. We were forced to get out from our area kay wa nay parkingan, gipabarangay na man mi. So, we looked for a space, and transferred there,” said Juan.

Cebuanos are known for being practical spenders, but Juan assured that even if the price of their burger is P160 and up, he said versus other foreign brands, they are “cheaper”.


As to the taste, he said the long lines since their opening day prove that the Cebuanos love it.

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