I like a good burger franchise, I love a well-made patty and of course I never shirk a challenge. And with Zarks Burgers I got all of the above today.
I had been wanting to try this very Filipino franchise for a while, but being a Filipino franchise you tend to only see it in malls. Well, today I was at Mall of Asia! So was Zark’s and so was a burger-eating challenge.
Table of Contents
The Zarks Burger Story
Zark’s Burgers was founded in 2009 by Rolandrei Viktor “Zark” Varona, who had previously worked as a cook on cruise ships. He used his savings to open the first Zark’s on Taft Avenue, starting with an 18-seat restaurant and a three-man crew. The business grew from that tiny operation into a nationwide Filipino burger chain, with franchising beginning in 2018.
Ownership remains with Varona, with the company operating a mixture of company-owned and franchise branches. The chain has had different published location counts over the years, reaching 60 franchise branches in 2019, while its current company profile describes the original seven-branch stage of its growth.
The Zark’s Burger Menu
Actually bloody good menu, with standouts being the Tombstone (also part of a challenge) and the Jawbreaker – quadruple burger which you can have “normal” or as a 5-minute eating challenge. Of course they have the normal stuff for mere mortals too.
The sides are also baller with me falling in love with the macaroni cheese, chicken fries. This was truly an unholy alliance of goodness.
Sample menu prices include:
• Zark’s Classic – PHP 229 / US$4.10
• Zark’s Bacon BBQ Burger – PHP 299 / US$5.35
• Three Pointer – PHP 289 / US$5.15
• Thunder Mac N’ Cheese – PHP 304 / US$5.40
• Grilled Cheeseburger – PHP 304 / US$5.40
• Cheesy Jalapeño – PHP 254 / US$4.50
• Cheesy Bacon Mushroom – PHP 289 / US$5.15
• Jawbreaker – PHP 574 / US$10.25
• Buffalo Wings, 4 pieces – PHP 248 / US$4.40
• Chicken Fingers – PHP 189 / US$3.35
• Cheesy Bacon Fries – PHP 169 / US$3.00
• Cheesy Nachos – PHP 109 / US$1.95
• Seasoned Fries – PHP 99 / US$1.75
• Iced Tea – PHP 49 / US$0.90
• Lemonade – PHP 49 / US$0.90
The Jawbreaker Challenge
While I am not a stranger to drink challenges – see video below, food ones I have not done much of. This would change today when I entered Zark’s Burgers.
@thestreetfoodguys #beerchallemge #gori #georgia #redtourist #georgianfood @paidtotravelnet @Uğur ♬ original sound – TheStreetFoodGuy
They actually offer two challenges, one of the Jawbreaker, which is 4 patties, a whole heap of fries and 16oz of iced tea. The other is the Tombstone, which for all intents is twice the size, but you get 10 minutes for.
How it works is they bring it out, set the timer and you have to finish everything in 5 minutes. To cut a long story short I did it with 12 seconds to spare. Yes, doing food challenges while you are diabetic is not big, nor clever, but it is very funny.
@thestreetfoodguys ##zarksburger #mallofasia #manila #itsmorefuninthephilippines doing the 5 minute #jawbreakerburger challenge at Zark’s burger@paidtotravelnet ♬ Born to Be Alive – The Original – Patrick Hernandez
The Jawbreaker challenge is the five-minute challenge, while the Tombstone gives you ten minutes. The Tombstone is the much bigger bastard of the two, with eight beef patties and four slices of American cheddar, alongside the fries and iced tea. The Jawbreaker consists of three quarter-pound patties with Spam, bacon and cheese sauce. Gayest thing though? You gotta sign a waiver. Sometimes Philippines thinks its America.
Where the Zark’s Burgers?
Zarks Burgers
Mall of Asia
Pasay City
Metro Manila
Philippines
Other Manila and Metro Manila locations include:
• Taft Avenue, Malate
• SM Megamall
• SM North EDSA
• Katipunan Avenue
• SM BF
OK, so I was actually real impressed with Zarks and would say it is more of a burger restaurant than fast food joint, and worth the effort, challenge or not.
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