Tuesday, August 21, 2007 New investor acquires resto, expands space, retains ‘feel’
FINDING one’s niche amid the stiff competition in the local restaurant industry will keep one’s business afloat, a local restaurateur said.
Charlie Pages, who now owns and manages Mooon Café, said that in his case, merely selling Mexican delicacies will not set his products and services apart from his competitors but selling Mexican dishes along with a Mexican-inspired restaurant will.
“We want to capitalize on the location, the ambience to attract more customers,” Pages said, which explains his hesitation to open an outlet inside malls.
Mooon Café, located on 42 E Osmeña St., Gua-dalupe, Cebu City, temporarily closed for three months for a renovation and re-opened last June under a new management.
Capacity
The café is the first restaurant venture of the Pages-owned Pages Holdings Inc.
Part of the P3-million renovation program included additional furnishings, more selection of Latin music and menu choices that cater to Mexican and Filipino customers, apart from more seats to allow the restaurant to accommodate up to 300 guests, Pages told Sun.Star Cebu.
“We want Mooon to be alive again. It used to be an institution,” Pages said, which is why the company decided to retain the “artsy feel” of the restaurant.
Mooon Café was previously owned by three Fine Arts students of the University of the Philippines Visayas Cebu College. The three Os in the restaurant’s name represent the three previous owners, Pages said.
Market
The café, which has been in Cebu’s restaurant scene for 10 years, has continued to attract the market of young professionals, families and foreigners.
Pages said Moon Café is among the restaurants featured in the Lonely Planet Publications that has prompted more foreign guests to visit the place.
Bestseller
Its menu includes its bestseller—the Mooon Steak.
Pages said the company already has plans to put up additional Mooon Café branches somewhere in Banilad or in Asiatown IT Park in the next two years or depending on the market demand. (MMM)
