A hobby that grew

Bros. Mustache Folk Bar started out as a hobby for Rafael and Regina Vinzon.

"My husband always wanted a bar where he could go to with his friends. But since he had different sets of friends, it seemed like a good idea to put up a bar with their common passion–music," said Regina Vinzon.

Using some of their savings, the couple found a place along Mother Ignacia, Quezon City. The furniture and equipment came from another restaurant which was closing down. Even coming up with the right dishes was easy as Vinzon was fond of cooking.

"Since my husband’s friends were already used to my specialties such as sisig and kilawin na tanigue, these dishes went to the menu and eventually became our best-sellers," said Vinzon, who admitted that she had to go to the wet market until she developed a reliable network of suppliers.

Reputation

"The financial side of the business has been carefully laid out," said Rafael Vinzon, a partner in the auditing firm of SGV and Bros. Mustache’s resident talent coordinator. "You have to be careful in investing as you may lose your shirt in the process. The best way is to start small and get into something that you really like. This way, you will not feel that it is a job."

Aside from featuring well-known singers such as Joey Ayala, the folk bar is also known in the music circle as the place for starting folk singers and artists.

Since opening for business in December 2001, the clientele of Bros. Mustache has grown from just Vinzon’s different sets of friends to local folk music fans. The folk bar has also expanded and opened branches in Malate and in Makati.

"In Bros. Mustache, there are no pretensions. You come in, listen to live folk music, eat, and have a few drinks. It’s a nice way to unwind after work," he said.