ONCE a business has a loyal following in a locality, the next logical thing to do is to widen the consumer base.
This was what Tacloban-based SunziBar and Dipolog-based UrChoice Bistro Cafe did. They both found a new home in Cebu.
Owners of these two regional brands are up for the challenge to compete in Cebu’s crowded food market space.
Heeding the clamor of Cebuanos who have visited their restaurant in Dipolog City, Italian national Giovanni Galli and his business partners brought to Cebu in July UrChoice Bistro Café, located along Avelino Morales St. in Barangay Camputhaw, Cebu City.
“If people from Cebu eat in a lot of restaurants, but they ask us to open in Cebu, maybe we are good,” said Galli, whose food business was founded in 2010.
Galli shared he has fallen in love with the Philippines and its people, the reason he stayed for 30 years. But alongside staying in what he considers his second home, he also wants to share the food he loves from his home country.
Cebu, being a safe destination with a vibrant middle class and high tourism traffic, was enough reason for Galli to consider his Cebuano customers’ invitation.
Although he admitted entering Cebu meant a different kind of battle to face every day, he is confident that expanding to Cebu would give diners more options.
Galli said that in the months since they opened, he saw many people from Dipolog who have dined in their restaurant.
“They said they are happy we are now here. It, at least, cures their homesickness,” he said.
UrChoice serves Italian and other Mediterranean dishes. Galli said that what sets them apart is his active involvement in preparing every recipe they make.
“In Italy, cooking is a way of life. Eating for us is a ritual. We are picky eaters,” said Galli.
Inspired by the success of her startup business in a hard-to-please market like Tacloban City, Ana Mae Wenceslao, owner of SunziBar is confident that she too, will be able to survive Cebuanos’ discriminating taste.
Wenceslao, together with her Cebu-based business partner, doctor Lorel Dee, opened Sunzibar’s first branch in Cebu in Robinsons Galleria.
The restaurant offers Mexican-inspired dishes said to be cooked in an “honest way,” which means no shortcuts, according to Wenceslao.
“We started the casual dining concept in Tacloban, a market that is not a vegetable eater, not into beer and nachos. We pushed the Mexican concept into the city’s dining scene. At first, it was difficult, but eventually locals came in. We have been the hangout place since then,” said Wenceslao.
She said that if they survived in Tacloban for 18 years, they too would be able to earn the Cebuanos’ approval.
According to Wenceslao, Cebu is a market that presents wider opportunities for them to grow. She believes that even if a city already has a lot of restaurant brands to choose from, there is still room left for new players to come in and thrive.
“We get our supplies in Cebu. The source is here. So opening a branch here makes sense. Plus, there are plenty of Taclobanons working here,” she said, adding that their presence also brings delight to Cebu-based Warays.
Data from the Department of Trade and Industry-Cebu shows that as of 2017, there are about 5,563 food businesses in Cebu City.
Top food businesses are eateries (895), refreshment parlors (879), restaurants (804), bakeries (604) and canteens or canteens with catering (398).