SUDDEN SHUTTERS

Filipino bakery chain exits Texas with San Antonio closure

Red Ribbon Bakeshop was known for Filipino cakes like Ube Overload.

San Antonio’s Filipino community has lost one of its go-to spots for celebration cakes. Jollibee’s Red Ribbon Bakeshop chain has pulled out of Texas with the closure of its San Antonio bakery at 84013 SH-151.

On November 1, a member of a local Filipino Facebook community noticed a handwritten closure announcement posted on the bakery’s door. Although the company has not issued a formal statement, it has updated its Google Business profile, disconnected the phone number, and disabled the San Antonio location’s web page. The corporate office did not immediately return a request for more information.

Amalia and Renato Mercado started the chain as a small Quezon City cake shop in 1979, relying on daughter Teresita Moran for the famous cake recipes. The bakery followed the Filipino diaspora to West Covina, California, in 1984, selling to fast-food giant Jollibee in 2005.

The acquisition eventually led to a rapid U.S. expansion, including its first Texas location in Houston in 2014. Red Ribbon followed up with a second Houston outpost in 2022, followed by a San Antonio outpost in 2023. Both Bayou City bakeries closed in 2024.

The chain was best-known for its moist cakes, including a mango supreme cake speckled with fruit and the royal purple Ube Overload. It also sold affordable dedication cakes for anniversaries and birthdays, and pastries like mamon (muffin-sized sponge cakes) and ensaimada (a coiled sweet bun).

Although Red Ribbon is still a global goliath with over 500 locations, it has been slowly scaling back its U.S. presence. At the time of the San Antonio store’s opening, it had planned to add several new locations to the 40 U.S. units it operated. Since then, it has retracted to 32 outposts, mostly in California.

Its parent company, however, has not abandoned the Alamo City. In May, Jollibee announced that it was eyeing San Antonio for a massive expansion that could bring up to 15 new locations to the area. Although a company rep did not give a timeline for the surge, they did say that execs are eyeing neighborhoods around Joint Base San Antonio.

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Wine is fine

Southwest expands free wine-shipping program to San Antonio airport

Photo by A.C. for Unsplash

Sip and Ship enables flyers to check one case of vino for free on flights from participating airports.

Lovers of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir may want to raise a glass for Southwest Airlines.

Dallas-based Southwest has expanded its Sip and Ship program to San Antonio International Airport and three other Texas airports, enabling travelers to check qualifying bottles of wine at no extra cost.

The program already served 19 airports in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Now, Sip and Ship enables flyers to check one case of vino for free on flights from 23 U.S. participating airports. To ship more than one case, a traveler must pay a checked-bag fee.

In addition to San Antonio International, Southwest added Dallas Love Field, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport to Sip and Ship.

A Southwest spokesperson said the airline introduced the program at the four Texas airports “following an overwhelming response from Texas wine lovers and growers.”

With the Texas airports included, Sip and Ship allows you to transport vino from wine regions in five states. This means you could pack a case of Cabernet Sauvignon from Northern California’s Napa Valley, Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, or dry Rosé from the Texas Hill Country.

So, how does the program work?

Southwest says a traveler can ship one packaged case of wine — up to 12 bottles — weighing 50 pounds or less and adhering to size limits (up to 62 inches, counting length, width and height).

The container holding the vino must be a single box or a special wine suitcase.

Additional leak-proof packaging is required to prevent breakage. This includes packing materials such as Styrofoam, molded foam inserts, cardboard liners, bubble wrap, and extra padding for glass bottles. The airline sells padded wine bags for $5 per bottle.

Then, a Southwest agent at the check-in counter inspects the case to ensure it’s properly packed, and seals and labels the wine box or suitcase.

Once you arrive at your destination, you can pick up the case at baggage claim or the area for oversized baggage.

To take advantage of Sip and Ship, you must be departing from one of the program’s 23 airports, be traveling within the U.S., and be at least 21 years old. The program applies to connecting flights as long as you’re flying within the U.S.

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