A fusion of the traditional and the modern

As Shirley’s Coffee Shop holds the grand opening of its new outlet in Susupe today, its management could not help but reminisce on the growth of the restaurant chain, not only on Saipan but also on Guam where it all started.

The Susupe restaurant, the biggest and most modern Shirley’s branch on Saipan with its wireless networking feature, is one success story in the local business sector, years after Dynamic Core Group Inc. first franchised the restaurant on Middle Road, Chalan Laulau in May 1993. The second Shirley’s outlet at the ground floor of the Century Hotel in Garapan has stood since September 1997.

The management of Saipan’s Shirley’s restaurants expressed its gratitude to the restaurant’s founder, Shirley Lai, whose entrepreneurial spirit turned her culinary hobby into a successful business venture that would go beyond the confines of Guam.

Lai started the Shirley’s Coffee Shop business in 1983 by putting up a small, nine-table restaurant at the Downtown Hotel on Marine Drive, Agana. Lai not only served as the restaurant’s owner but also as cook and was assisted only by one kitchen helper and two waitresses who took turns for the morning and afternoon shifts. Despite the manpower handicap, Lai managed to run the business from 6:30am to 10pm seven days weekly.

It was Lai who created her own recipes and cutting style for all food preparations. She made all-American breakfasts and a combination of Western and Chinese cuisine for dinner.

After a busy day, Lai would stay at the restaurant until past midnight to prepare for another day. She would leave her bed early to get back to the coffee shop before 6:30am, by which time brewed coffee and steamed rice should be ready for customers’ breakfast.

The coffee shop earned a reputation for good food and excellent service at a reasonable price. Today, the restaurant has three spacious and modern establishments in Agana, Harmon and Tamuning, besides another one at the A.B. Won Pat International Airport.

The Shirley’s Susupe outlet

Twelve years after the introduction of Shirley’s on Saipan, Dynamic Core Group opened up the new Susupe outlet earlier this year. Today, however, will be its grand opening, with Saipan Mayor Juan Borja Tudela and Richard Lai, executive vice president of Shirley’s on Guam and son of the restaurant’s founder, among the special guests. The Chinese Association of Saipan would also stage a “lion dance” after the ceremonial ribbon cutting.

There are several new items that have been added to the popular Shirley’s menu at the Susupe outlet, besides its famous fried rice and omelet, among other meals.

The Susupe restaurant now offers an array of desserts that will accompany filling meals, such as pastries and ice cream. Its crepes—crepe wrappers filled with ice cream and topped with slices of Mandarin orange, almonds, whip cream, and chocolate syrup—have been a hit among the customers since its introduction.

Now available at Shirley’s Susupe are the refreshing “smoothies.” The cappuccino and mocha blasts are blended with crushed ice and milk and filled with boba or sago, a new craze in some American restaurants.

Other smoothies include the “snow bubble” flavors: strawberry, green apple, and tangerine. Filled with boba, those flavors are mixed with crushed ice and cream.

Desserts such as crème caramel and chocolate fudge cakes, as well as leche flan, are becoming popular at Shirley’s. Its melt-in-the-mouth choco marble and strawberry shortcakes and delicious cheesecake add to the list of Shirley’s new items that are worth the try.

Soon, the Susupe restaurant’s patrons will get to enjoy the delectable pansit Malabon, a Philippine-style pasta, and refreshing halo-halo. Shirley’s also plans to introduce meals for kids.

Shirley’s Susupe goes wireless

Shirley’s invested several hundreds of thousands to make the Susupe restaurant one of the coziest place to hang out with families and friends, with its elegant U.S.-made furniture and modern lighting system that could create varying ambiance. The restaurant is wireless networking-friendly, and each booth has power outlets where customers can hook up their laptops.

Even its glass windows have V-cool tint, which blocks over 90 percent of the sun’s ultraviolet rays, according to Shirley’s Susan Macario.

The outlet has separate smoking and non-smoking areas. Its restrooms are equipped with “touchless” soap dispensers, paper towel dispensers and trash bins.

Its ordering system has also been brought into the 21st century, with the crew just punching in the orders on a touch-sensitive computer console. The order would be printed out at the counter for the cashier, while a separate printer at the kitchen would also print out the orders for the cooks to whip up.

Macario disclosed that construction of the Susupe facility began sometime in October 2004 was completed in December that year. Before construction began, she attended a trade show in Los Angeles sometime in August to get updates on the trends and new technology in the industry.

The restaurant stands on a 3,500-square-foot commercial space and has one of the biggest and most modern kitchens in the CNMI. The spacious restaurant makes it suitable for any occasion and is open for reservation for any function.