Homegrown Cebuano pizza chain Alberto’s Pizza was named 5-Star Eats Merchant of the Year at the first Grab 5-Star Eats Awards, the highest recognition given to a merchant-partner in the program. The restaurant also took the 5-Star Regional Favorite award for the Visayas, making it the only merchant to win major awards in two categories.
The inaugural Grab 5-Star Eats Awards honor the community restaurants and micro, small, and medium food enterprises that millions of Filipinos have most consistently chosen, rated, and recommended over the past year. Winners are decided by three measures: the People’s Verdict, tallied from user votes; the Experts’ Validation, from a blind tasting judged by food experts, journalists, and content creators; and the Data’s Proof, drawn from the platform’s own service metrics.
“It is one thing to be recognized for a good product. It means more when the recognition comes from the people who order from us, come back, and tell others,” said Amie Opalla, Business Development Manager of Alberto’s Pizza. “These awards say that the work behind every pizza and every order counts.”
Built one store at a time
Alberto’s Pizza opened its first store on B. Rodriguez St. in Cebu City in February 2008. Today, it operates a growing number of company-owned stores alongside a widening franchise network, with Cebu remaining its home base.
The brand began expanding beyond Cebu in 2011 with stores in Dumaguete and Cagayan de Oro, and has since grown its presence across the Visayas and Mindanao, including Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao, General Santos, and other key cities.
Cebu’s famous pizza chain Alberto’s Pizza takes the top honor at this year’s Grab 5-Star Eats Awards, voted Merchant of the Year for the flavor, reliability, and consistency that define a 5-Star Eats merchant. Accepting the award is Business Development Manager Amie Opalla. Opalla and her team see the recognition as motivation to keep delivering the 5-Star flavor and service Alberto’s Pizza is known for.
Growth has also picked up on the Grab platform. Since joining Grab in 2024, Alberto’s Pizza has grown overall sales by 25 percent.
Beyond fleet coverage and serviceable area, Opalla points to the platform tools the business now leans on. Self-Serve Ads lets merchants set their own promos and in-app placements straight from the Grab Merchant app, while discoverability programs like 5-Star Eats position homegrown names as must-tries for new customers.
“We are proud to be part of how community brands like Alberto’s grow,” said Josh Ong, Merchant Operations Lead for Visayas at Grab Philippines. “Grab was built on the principle that no one gets left behind in the digital economy, and for a merchant that means wider reach, tools they can run themselves, accessible AI-powered co-pilots, and upskilling that helps them compete. Our commitment is to keep those within reach of every MSME we work with. Alberto’s shows what a strong local brand does with that runway.”
Next stop, Luzon
Alberto’s Pizza plans to enter Luzon within two years, bringing a distinctly Cebuano pizza to a market it has not yet served.
“These awards tell us we are on the right track, but they also raise the bar. We have to keep earning the trust that brought us here,” Opalla said. “We see this less as a trophy and more as an opening: to grow, to reach more customers, and to show that a local business can compete on quality and consistency alone.”
Explore the complete list of 2026 Grab 5-Star Eats winners on the Grab app.
