Fast Food chains are slowly becoming a popular choice for kiddie parties especially by parents who doesn't have the luxury of time to plan and the bulk of a moolah to pay for an extravagant birthday bash.
Now that we have 3 kids, I sort of consider myself very well versed in party planning so I thought I wouldn't spend so much now on by youngest child's birthday but still give her an unforgettable, fun and 'hindi mukhang tinipid' kiddie party especially that it's her first birthday.
We've attended dozens of kiddie parties in fast food chains like Jollibee, McDonalds, Burger King etc but the party at Shakey's stands out to me as good choice for a 1st birthday. First, my daughter is still too young to appreciate Jollibee and there's McDo at almost every corner of Metro Manila. I also read in another blog that Shakey's can serve the party food buffet style.
I checked various blogs before proceeding to a Shakey's branch so I already know that the buffet food is actually their Monster Meal Deal which they will serve buffet style. And why not, MMD is good for 10-12 people and contains all party food (pasta, garlic bread, chicken, mojos, pizza and drinks). It's a great deal for Php2079 (SC not included) per set.
I chose a branch with a Fun Zone area. Fun Zone is a small arcade where kids can buy tokens and play. As of this posting there are only 4 branches with Fun Zone - E.Rodriguez, Katipunan, Quezon Avenue and Marcos Hi-way. We're from Rizal so Marcos Hiway was our branch of choice. It has a huge party area that can accommodate up to 120 guests. There's also ample free parking spaces around the branch.
The party themes available are Barney and Justice League, both of which did not appeal to me so I requested be allowed to create my own theme. This would mean I would drop their party amenities which includes game prizes and party give aways. Luckily, the agreed and wasn't charged a dime.
The money I saved for not getting the party amenities, I of course used to purchase our own game prizes, loot bags and other kiddie party ornaments bearing our own theme which is Tinkerbell. The staff still happily arranged them on a dressed table for the party and helped me with the setup.
They also provided the party host free of charge even though we did not avail the party amenities. The party host did a great job with the kids especially with the games. She basically ran the whole program.
I was also allowed to put my candy/dessert buffet to complement the Chocolate Fountain service that I booked (a partner of Shakey's). The dessert buffet and chocolate fountain were actually one of the best ideas I put for this party as it served as finger food for the guests, kids especially, while waiting for the meals to be served.
It's a bit tedious putting the candy buffet together and manage it while I host the party, but then that's the price I have to pay for wanting to have it DIY :) hehe. (Tips on how to setup your own Candy Buffet to follow).
So for those mommies out there who is considering Shakey's, allow me to enumerate what I think are the pros and cons of having your party there:
Pros
1. Just like other fast food chain kiddie parties, a Shakey's party is only for 2 hours. Best to plan the program neatly to maximize the time. If the store allows it, try to haggle for an extra hour especially if they don't have a booking after your party. You will be charged an extension fee of course (Php1000 at Marcos Hiway).
2. Unlike other fast food chain parties, Shakey's allowed us to serve the cake to our guests. In other words, di masyadong maarte. I heard other branches would ask for a waiver to be signed, but luckily for us at Marcos Hiway, this was never asked.
3. Fun Zone tokens are being sold at only Php10 each and can be used as prizes for games to those arcade addicts enthusiastic kids.
4. The food is good! The chicken parts are huge and crispy. The pasta are filling and you have 2 choices pa. Best of all, they now allow you to choose your pizza (because before they have only Pepperoni and Manager's Choice).
5. They are not too strict (at least at Marcos Hiway) and tried to accommodate all my requests, including additional balloons, additional dressed tables, party hour extension (must be made WEEKS before the party and not on the spot), photobooth service from a non accredited provider and many more!
Cons
1. The party themes at Shakey's are limited and lame. Justice League and Barney? Seriously? Haha. If only they can come up with better themes then I am sure clients would be availing more.
2. The Fun Zone can be both a blessing and a curse. From our experience, I felt the downside of the Fun Zone when the kids became very hard to coax to come into the party area and join the program. They are more interested in the arcade!
3. They have a mascot which nobody knows or even remember. I haven't met a kid who is aware of Shakey's mascot. Haha.
This was really helpful. Thanks so much for sharing.
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