THERE is something to be said about businesses that open up and stay afloat during the still raging Covid-19 pandemic.
Island Café & Restaurant management attributes their success to their loyal customers.
“Despite the pandemic, the number of customers who visit our restaurant has thankfully increased,” said co-owner Kyunghee Park.
“We have seen an increase in the number of repeat customers. Other patrons were brought in through customer recommendations and we are very grateful for that. Our loyal customers have been wonderful. We are truly grateful for their continued patronage throughout this pandemic that we are facing. It was our customers who helped us push through these difficult times and we are very happy to continue to serve them as best as we can,”
Island Café & Restaurant first opened its doors on Dec. 17, 2020, and since then, has made it its mission to provide patrons with an inviting space, including several private rooms for personal or business gatherings.
“Above all, we are a restaurant with a clean environment,” Park said. “In particular, we respect personal privacy and have the main dining area and private rooms for use during the pandemic for events such as baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties, family meals, and various celebrations and gathering,” Park added.
The main dining area and private rooms resemble living and dining areas in family homes, complete with dining tables, chairs, sofas, rugs, and even 75-inch smart TVs, complete with free Wi-Fi.
Each of the private rooms have a kitchen area and a private bathroom, resembling a studio apartment space.
“Most of the customers who visit the restaurant say they appreciate how comfortable and clean it is,” Park said. “At Island Café & Restaurant, we not only strive to serve healthy and delicious food, we also provide an environment that is both inviting and comfortable. A special feature that we offer is our private rooms that respect the privacy of each of our customers. Many meetings and private gatherings have been held there. I think it is ideal for these times that we are living in. I believe customers appreciate the option of having a private space that’s exclusive to just their guests. Each room is not only quiet and private, but also has a 75-inch smart TV that can be used for Zoom meetings and other presentations. This is available to all customers at no extra charge,” Park added.
As for the menu, the focus has been on what customers would enjoy.
“We really try our best to serve food items that our customers would enjoy,” Park said. “When we first opened, our menu was very simple. We had breakfast, pasta, chicken and hamburger steak. This was our main focus. Currently, we have breakfast all day. To include an increase in the overall menu, we try our best to provide a diversified menu with options for everyone. Our menu now includes items such as crispy pata, yakisoba, beef curry, oxtail, Galbi-tang, lumpia, beef kelaguen, spicy ginger chicken, grilled salmon and so much more,” Park said.
Island Café & Restaurant’s most popular dishes have been their various fried chicken sets, carbonara, calamari, hamburger steak, and bibimbap.
The café portion of the space offers a variety of hot and cold beverages, the most popular of which are java chip frappe, caramel macchiato, and hazelnut latte.
“I hope that our café and restaurant continue to be the place of choice of the people,” Park said. “I hope that our island continues to heal from this pandemic and that more customers will continue to visit our restaurant and feel safe and welcome. At Island Café and Restaurant, we will continue to strive to provide the best service and food to the people of the islands.”
Island Café & Restaurant is located on Middle Road, next to LJ’s II Groceries, across from the Mobil gas station in Garapan.
It is open 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.
For more information, call 483-8825 and/or visit https://www.facebook.com/Island-Cafe-Restaurant-103126834943151
Island Café & Restaurant is located on Middle Road, next to LJ’s II Groceries, across from the Mobil gas station in Garapan.
