Setting precedents

Today, Regina Navarette stops wearing two hats – one as marketing director of Jollibee Foods Corp. and the other as president of Greenwich Pizza Corp.

"I agonized over leaving Jollibee after close to six years. Jollibee’s values are similar to my personal values: integrity that is rooted on respect and teamwork," she said. "It was also natural for me to be scared. For the past 17 years, my job experience has solely been in marketing. Now I have to run not just the marketing aspect but an entire company."

Conscious of setting precedents, Navarette learned the Greenwich operations from bottom up. She learned how to prepare pizza like any member of the crew in Greenwich’s 185 outlets nationwide. She looked at both front and backroom operations to see how the company could stand on its own.

Priorities

Right now, the core market of Greenwich are young adults like Navarette, aged 20-39, who want a comfortable place to meet up with friends. Sales growth this year is estimated at 20%, higher than last year’s 11%, largely due the opening of 25 more stores and to the introduction of higher products like Primo pizza which will increase per capita sales.

Since 40% of the business is take-out, the company is currently piloting home delivery service in five stores–three in Metro Manila; one in Dagupan, Pangasinan; and one in Cebu City. At the heart of the home delivery service is the use of the more expensive thermal bag, instead of the usual insulation bag, to keep pizza hot in transit.

"The priority is to ensure that Greenwich can stand on its own, in terms of food and service," said Navarette. Consequently, co-branding or sharing a communal dining areas (like a mini food court) with sister companies Jollibee, Chowking Food Corp., and Delifrance Phils. Inc. is discouraged.

Management style

"Women have a natural flair for service. With women managers, your guard is down, maybe because we sound and look sincere. It’s easier to get everybody–both men and women–to work as a team," said Navarette, who describes herself as "expressive but not impulsive."

One of 12 children, Navarette took up industrial engineering but never got to practice it. After passing the job interview at Unilever Phils., Inc.she was given two choices: either work at the plant where she could use her university degree or work in marketing. "I asked the interviewer what was a better career move and he quickly said marketing," she said.

Greenwich is Navarette’s fourth career move and the second within the Jollibee Group. "At the end of the day, it boils down to love of family and joy in working for me," Navarette said. She could just as well be describing the motto of all employees at Greenwich.