Popular barbecue strip, Larsian, reopens

Larsian is officially grilling again.

The popular barbecue strip located along Don Mariano Cui Street near Fuente Osmeña Circle has been formally reopened to the public yesterday afternoon, November 16.

Larsian has been shut down for four months, beginning July 2, to give way for the P1.8 million renovation of the area, particularly on its drainage system.

From previously 44 barbecue stalls rented by 18 owners, Larsian now has 59 stalls operated by 30 tenants.

Larsian stalls’ menu has also widened as some stalls now offer other Cebuano viands such as larang and desserts like ice cream and fruit mix.

Diners will also “smell less smoke” as the renovation also included the modification of the height of the ceiling of the grilling area.

Apart from beautifying the facade of Larsian, its administrator, Joey Herrera, said they had also crafted policies to correct the issues raised against the food place prior to its renovation.

Among these concerns are food safety and “honesty” of vendors.

Last October, all food handlers were required to attend a free food handling and food safety seminar at the Capitol facilitated by the City Health Office.

Herrera said he was also coordinating with the City Health Office to conduct a periodic audit on the food place and to evaluate if they had followed guidelines on food safety standards set by the office.

“That way, manglimpyo gyod sila kay naa na may magmonitor nila (they will keep their place clean because there will be somebody who monitors them) which is not happening before,” said Herrera.

While the issue of padding the diners’ bill is prevalent in Larsian, Herrera said they had now required all stalls to display the menu with the corresponding prices on their stalls and on the tables assigned to them.

Just last Sunday, three days after Larsian’s soft opening, a customer posted a complaint on Facebook because the seller of one barbecue stall allegedly padded her bill.

The seller was dismissed by her employer, the owner of the food stall, and the seller was also banned from working at any stall in the food strip.

Herrera also said that the tenants had agreed to impose penalties or a fine of P1,000 to the food station that would overcharge customers for their first offense, a two week closure for the second offense, and the termination of lease contract if proven guilty three times of committing the same offense.

“Dili ni ako lang nga policy (This is not just my policy). This has been agreed kay dili man pod tanan ang nagbuhat. Lisod man sad kaayo kung pipila ra nila ang nagbuhat ana unya maangin ang tanan (because not all actually engage in overcharging customers. It would not be right if the image of the erring vendors will reflect that of everyone),” said Herrera.

Herrera added that he will coordinate with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to conduct inspection on the compliance of the store with necessary business documents.

Herrera said the tenants of Larsian should not be exempted in any law just because the place is operated by the province.

The issuance of official receipts, Herrera said, would also help in preventing incidence of overcharging or bill padding.