A MEXICAN-inspired restaurant chain in Cebu is expanding nationwide through franchising starting this year.

Mooon Café, now owned and managed by Pages Holdings Inc., is eyeing interested franchisees from Cagayan de Oro, Dumaguete, Manila and Davao, among others.

“The outlets located outside Cebu will be franchises. One needs to be hands-on in managing a restaurant,” said Bunny Pages, chairman of Pages Holdings Inc. , which bought Mooon Café from its original owners two years ago.

He added that franchising enables the company to “share the business with others” and ensures that franchise owners will be on-site to address the “meticulous and demanding” requirements of managing a restaurant they have invested in.

More branches

Currently, there are three company-owned Mooon Café outlets in Cebu City—in Barangay Guadalupe, The Walk in Asiatown IT Park and The Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu.

Pages said they will be opening two more company-owned branches this year—one in Parkmall before the end of July and the other in front of Chong Hua Hospital sometime in September.

After contracting RK Franchise Consultancy in February to put in place its franchising system and opening the franchise opportunity to the public about two months ago, Mooon Café will be opening its first franchise outlet in Cagayan de Oro.

The next identified sites are the cities of Lapu-Lapu in Cebu and Dumaguete in Oriental Negros.

“We are starting with P800,000 for the franchise fee alone,” said Pages, adding that their company will also provide training and other forms of support.

He also stressed that interested investors must have “integrity, financial capability and the entrepreneurial spirit” for the business.

Growth

“Five years from now, we (see) Mooon Café having 25 outlets nationwide,” he said.

Amid the competitive and growing local food industry, he attributed Mooon Café’s growth to the “combination of good food, inexpensive pricing, great ambience, and fast and quick service.”

He added that the global financial crisis prompted the restaurant chain—managed by Charlie Pages—to introduce new dishes, ensure top-notch service and exercise close supervision of the operations.

Pages-owned Pages Holdings Inc. owns and operates various businesses, including My Playroom, Bright Academy and Thirsty. Mooon Café is its first restaurant venture.