AFTER opening more than 70 branches in Luzon since 2003, the Razon siblings from Guagua, Pampanga are now poised to bring their beloved Kapampangan food and other Filipino favorites to the Cebu market.
Salome Baltazar, Edwina Hyson, Socorro Sanchez, and Jose Razon brought Razon’s of Guagua, a casual dining restaurant famous for its halo-halo and pancit luglug, to Cebu last July in SM Seaside City.
The siblings opened over the weekend a second branch in Cebu in SM Consolacion.
“Honestly, we don’t know what we are up to here, considering the already tight competition in the food and beverage business in Cebu. But we know that the Kapampangan specialties are a comfort food, which we hope Cebuanos would taste and love,” said Razon, executive vice-president of Razon’s Food Corp.
Food court first
Cebu is the company’s first expansion site outside Luzon.
The first branch of Razon’s of Guagua in Metro Manila opened in July 2003 in the food court at Robinson’s Galleria. They continue to sell Pampanga’s famous halo-halo, pancit luglug and ensaymadas, along with assorted tarts, chicharon and taba ng talangka or crab fat.
The company has 73 branches, including the two branches in Cebu. Sixty-eight of these branches are company-owned while the five other branches are franchised outlets. Eighty percent of the company’s total branches are mall-based.
While Razon’s is a new entrant in Cebu’s thriving food and beverage scene, Hyson, the company’s president and chief operations officer, is optimistic their business will do well here.
Logistics
“It took us quite a while to come here because of some key factors to consider such as logistics. We just want our products to maintain its quality. But we are ready for Cebu. Cebuanos love food and they are experimental and open to trying out new ones. We just want you to come and taste our specialties,” she added.
The halo-halo (priced at P110) and the pancit luglug (also P110) are the “bread and butter” products of Razon’s of Guagua.
Aside from Cebu, the siblings are looking at other promising markets like Iloilo City and Davao City. The company plans to set up a commissary in Cebu should they pursue an aggressive expansion in the Visayas-Mindanao area.
“But for now we are concentrating our efforts in Cebu. We are eyeing to open our third branch here in SM City Cebu before the end of this year,” said Hyson.
Like other successful Filipino brands, the Razon siblings are also eyeing a venture abroad. Razon said they are looking at expanding in the Middle East where there is a large Filipino community.
“We don’t have definite plans yet but anything can happen. For now there are still plenty of opportunities in the country. We still have a good market here when it comes to food,” said Razon.