‘All aboard’ inside a bigger The Magellan

It’s 11:30am, foot traffic inside The Magellan starts to increase. Couples, families, or group of friends—mostly made up of Pacific Islands Club’s hungry in-house guests—come through the door and quickly head to the buffet line.

At the dining area, food and beverage manager Rommel Bartolo’s wait staff quickly assists customers with their requests and other concerns.

Over at the kitchen, chef de cuisine June Evangelista and his team work quickly to cook new batches to refill what’s on the menu for the day; sure an occasional outburst and shouting incident arise but all is good after that.

This is organized chaos every lunch buffet at The Magellan with the entire staff—from dining to kitchen—working like a well-oiled machine, each knowing his function and part to make sure no or mistakes are minimized.

It is now almost 12pm, and the crowd is increasing by the minute. That poses no problem at The Magellan as it can now accommodate 700 guests—from the extension to the adjacent Charley’s Cabaret function room—after all the renovations and other improvements were completed this month.

Extending The Magellan’s dining area was one of PIC management’s plans, part of the innovation of the San Antonio hotel and resort facility. Construction began in the last week of July 2015, but the project got extended when Typhoon Soudelor hit Saipan month later.

One could see the spacious area and a different buffet stations with every space maximized. The glass of The Magellan’s skylight was also replaced with customers noticing the bright glow of sunlight piercing through.

The Magellan had been a favorite venue on the island to host weddings, birthdays, and after graduation parties, baptisms, confirmations, and other special occasions. After all, it is the only one of the few establishments on the island that could host big functions.

Bartolo said they have been fully booked two days before Father’s Day. “The same thing happened on Mother’s Day where they needed to arrange a separate buffet station at the Seaside Grill and set up pavilions outside to accommodate guests.”

The Magellan went through some changes but the taste of the food they offer remains the same, assured Evangelista. The menu changes daily to accommodate the palates of its diverse clients.

“We usually set and plan the menu a week before. Our Sunday buffet is unique. We make sure the serving of our food remains the same and make quick refills of the popular choices of our guests.”

Bartolo has 26 wait staff, while 25 cooks help Evangelista inside the kitchen. All work in shifts—breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet—but all hands are on deck if the need arises.

The Magellan still has unlimited drinks including soda, juices, tea, coffee, wine, and draft beer—Bud Light and Miller.

For inquiries and reservation, call 237-5136.