Chilla Gorilla Burgers was created when young and vegan business owners Jean and DeMar Ty Soroan III launched with an intention of “convincing people that eating plant-based does not equate to deprivation.”
As Marty (@theveganprofessor on IG) puts it, “there are indulgent food such as burgers that can be made to taste like the beef burger that people are used to. This way, more people will consider eating less meat and that in itself is a big win for the planet.”
So what’s with the cool gorilla name?
“Some people think that those who don’t eat meat are weaker than those who do because meat protein is popularized as a food for the macho. The gorilla as a symbol, the mightiest of the great apes, will show people that plant-eaters are stronger and powerful. Chilla is to emphasize that we don’t want to appear domineering. We’re just chill,” Marty explains with a smile.
Their first customers were mostly burger lovers who were waiting for a 100% plant-based burger that’s locally made in Davao. They were surprised to learn that most of them weren’t vegan who kept ordering again and again.
Asked about their greatest challenge, his answer was the fear of failure. “Fear is always looming when you start a business from scratch. But during this pandemic, the fear was more tangible. Lots of restaurants were shutting down and yet here we were gearing to open one. But we pushed through the fear and decided to launch anyway,” he says.
Plans for 2021? First, to let everyone in Davao City know that a homegrown plant-based burger house with local ingredients exists. Second is to get them to try the amazing burgers. Third is to thank them, not just for their purchase, but also for contributing to the protection of Mother Earth, one burger at a time. And yes, there will be additional items in the menu like a vegan chicken sandwich.
Marty finishes his statement with, “As owners of the business, we are vegans, yes. But, we do not want to push the vegan agenda to everyone because that will create a divide. We only want people to realize the fact that our food choices have impacts not just to ourselves but to everything around us, especially the future of this planet. With that knowledge, one can now decide if they want to be part of the problem or part of the solution.”
Dare to go meatless and cool?
Chilla Gorilla Burgers is @chillagorilla.ph on Instagram.
Call for orders : 0963 070 6808 Smart and 0955 644 3571 TM
Operating Hours: Mon- Sun: 11:00am to 7:00pm
Food delivery is available via Food Panda, Grab Food and Plant Based Delibree.
My verdict: Tasty, meaty, healthy. And since they’re our neighbors… pa deliver again please.
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