Every Burger, A Labor of Love

By: Franz Correa


Pag lockdown, akoang wife nagtrabaho isip usa ka chief nurse sa Mandaue City Hospital. Wala silay pagkaon sa hospital, so I decided nga mohimo’g burger para sa iyaha para dali ikaon ba.” (During lockdown, my wife–a chief nurse at Mandaue city Hospital–rarely had anything to eat at work. So I decided to fix her a quick burger that she can easily eat [on her break].)

 

This is how Dubby’s Ultimate Burgers began: as a simple act of love, from husband to wife. Or more precisely: from a lovey to his “dubby,” says JP Maunes, owner of this simple Mandaue City hole-in-the-wall that serves “ruggedly delicious” burgers, as well as the usual French fries, nachos, and milkshakes you’d expect from an American-inspired burger joint.

 

This business was never planned, but after food donations at the hospital poured in, JP’s wife Maimai said there was no need to send her any more burgers. The surplus prompted JP to post on Facebook. First, he sold 6. Then 15. Then 30. Then 50.

 

As the orders surged come week 2, JP could no longer cope with the demand all by himself. So he called on his athlete friends from Philippine Accessible Disability Services, Inc. (PADS) to help him at Dubby’s. Out of their respective jobs, the latter readily agreed. 


Helping the Handicapped

 

For assembly line chef Owen Loceño, a simple joke about asking JP for a Dubby’s burger led him to work here. Before making burgers and contributing to the success of Dubby’s, Owen assembled horse racing machines for a living but had to stop because of the new prohibition law. He had to make do with on-call technician work. 

 

An active member of a Mandaue PWD group, Owen met PADS founder JP in a sitting volleyball match, who invited him to try out for PADS’ dragon boat racing team. Owen got in and he kept himself busy with training during his free time–until the pandemic hit and all of PADS had to halt their activities for the time being. 

 

PADS initiates programs for persons with disabilities (PWDs), such as Sports and Rehabilitation, which aims to help the handicapped participate in active sports and commune with others in testing their capacities as individuals. JP and his colleagues organized financial assistance efforts for PADS members at the onset of the pandemic. 

 

“But eventually, we ran out of funds. So when the demand for Dubby’s boomed, I immediately asked them if they wanted to work here. [This way] they have a livelihood and they can support their families,” says JP. 

From One PWD to Another: Is It Hard to Work With Each Other?

 

Padayon Jud had the chance to see how a Dubby’s order is made from start to finish. The process begins with Vernel, front-end staff who mans the PC and receives the orders, whether online or on-site. He then pushes a button in their Lighting System to signal the deaf/hard-or-hearing back-end staff that an order has arrived.

 

The preparation commences: each offering from the Dubby’s menu has its own station, manned with a dedicated staff. Fries. Nachos. Drinks. Milk tea. A separate burger grilling station at the back. Every mechanism is suited for ease of use by the PWD staff. 

 

Once the orders are done, they are either packed tight for delivery or served in trays to dine-in customers. 

 

If you’re planning to visit the actual Dubby’s restaurant, there is no need to worry about not knowing how to do sign language. Each biodegradable paper placemat has a guide on how to do the basic “Sorry, please, thank you”s of the language, and the staff are super nice and accommodating to first-time learners. Talk about an inclusive workplace setting

 

“It’s very inspiring that the hard-of-hearing, deaf, and other PWDs come together in a single workplace, and that we found a way to communicate,” senior chef Jonathan Cabulao shares to Padayon Jud, via sign language. “So we help each other in our daily tasks, we practice division of labor, and we make sure that the food we make tastes delicious.”

“Not Exploiting the Advocacy”

 

Having tasted more burgers than you could imagine, JP says that he often could tell if there was something amiss. This is where the Dubby’s credo for good food comes from: They come here for the good burger, not because our staff are PWDs.

 

“I always remind our employees nga everytime maghimo sila og burger, make sure nga from the heart ilang paghimo.” JP shares. (I always remind our employees that everytime they make a burger, they make sure it’s from the heart.)

 

“Diri sa Dubby’s di sab mi ganahan ma-exploit ang advocacy para lang makadani og daghang customers. We make sure nga taas og standard among pagkaon.” (Here at Dubby’s we don’t want to exploit the advocacy to bring in more customers. We make sure that our food is high-standard.) 

 

Still, as Dubby’s thrives through this pandemic, JP and #TeamDubby will continue to prove that PWDs have a place in society and can work as efficiently as the able-bodied. As Dubby’s sets its eyes on expanding all over and beyond Cebu, JP assures that their business will prioritize providing employment opportunities for PWDs, above all. 

 

A “barrier-free restaurant,” JP muses on the possibilities, as we watch a 3D rendition of Dubby’s future flagship store somewhere along Ouano Avenue. “A restaurant for all, [where] you,” he addresses his beloved PADS athletes, “Keep going forward. Never let anybody tell you, You can’t.” 

 

Share Your Story

Step 1 of 2