— The Arnoks story

Our humble start.

Arnoks did not start in a boardroom. It started with a borrowed kiosk, a glass display meant for a fish tank, and a family who believed the chicken was that good. This is the story, as it happened.

1. 

   2019 · Santa Cruz, Tarlac

   It began under a tarp, by lamplight.

   Our first spot was a corner near McArthur National Highway in Santa Cruz. We had no store, so a friend, Arnold Buscaino, lent us his kiosk. On that first night Luanne and Arnold fried the first batches, laid them on a tray, and waited for the first customer to stop. 🍗

2. 

   How the name was born

   Meet Arnold, the first hand on the fryer.

   The man in the cap and apron is Arnold Resuma of Sta. Josefa, Agusan del Sur, our very first fryer and cook. At first people just called it “Manok ni Arnold”, but that had no ring to it and nobody remembered it. When the time came to register the business at the barangay, we built a name from what it was: Ar for Arnold, nok from manok, and s because there was a lot of chicken: Arnoks. The “Ar” honors two Arnolds, Arnold Resuma at the fryer and Arnold Buscaino, who lent us that first kiosk.

3. 

   The first display case

   A fish tank became our first display.

   We could not afford a proper counter display, so we used a glass case that was meant for a fish tank. That is where Leanna sold her first Arnoks Special Fried Chicken, with the prices written by hand on a sheet of paper. It worked.

4. 

   2020 · The pandemic

   The world stopped. The counter did not.

   When the pandemic hit, many small food stalls closed for good. Ours stayed open because the family stepped in. Luanne kept frying and selling, and Julianne, the eldest, and Leanna took their turns at the table. Customers kept coming back for the taste, and that is what carried us through. 💪

5. 

   Home-based Arnoks

   If one family could do it, so could others.

   The pandemic taught us something: people needed income they could earn from home. So Jonathan launched home-based Arnoks on Facebook, a way for ordinary families to fry and sell Arnoks from their own kitchens. It spread faster than we expected. Today there are 2,100+ home-based resellers.

6. 

   First dine-in

   A few tables beside our house.

   Our first dine-in was not a restaurant. It was a few tables and chairs under a roof, right beside the family home. Neighbors ate there. Then friends of neighbors. Then people who drove in because someone told them about the chicken.

7. 

   First take-away

   The first counter with our name on top.

   A small take-away counter with the Arnoks sign glowing above it at night. Simple, but it was ours, and it was the first time the name stood on its own.

8. 

   First full dine-in

   The same chicken, now with a front door.

   Plants out front, a proper sign, and room to sit down. The first full dine-in Arnoks store. The recipe inside was the same one fried under the tarp on day one. We just kept going. 🚀