When Leo “Chukri” Prieto III and his team were searching for their next big business venture, they weren’t looking to create something new—they wanted to revive something great. That’s when they stumbled upon Racks, a once-iconic restaurant known for its ribs and signature sauce.
“I remember Racks, even myself as a kid,” Prieto says. “I remember eating the ribs, the sauce—masarap. I remember the stores. Lahat puti di ba? Everything was white, clean, and the good ribs, simple ribs like that.”
Curious to see if the brand still had potential, Prieto and his team visited the restaurant before making an offer. What they found surprised them.
“We ate in the store a couple of times prior to making an approach, and we said, ‘Wow, the food’s still good here? What happened?’”
That’s when they started asking around. They spoke to friends and family, and a common theme emerged—everyone remembered Racks as a great brand, but no one knew what happened to it.
“Pretty much everybody said the same thing,” Prieto recalls. “‘Wow, Racks. I remember Racks to always be good. It had the best ribs, the best sauce. What happened to them? Bakit wala na sila? They used to have many stores?’”
Realizing that Racks still had strong brand recognition and customer nostalgia, Prieto and his team saw a clear opportunity to bring it back to life.
“We thought we had something here and we said, ‘You know, this is something we can revive.’ This is the brand that we can revive.”
Today, Racks is back—bigger, stronger, and still serving the same great ribs that people remember. Thanks to Prieto’s vision, a beloved brand has reclaimed its place in the restaurant scene.
This article includes quotes from an interview originally published by Esquire Philippines, authored by Henry Ong.
