Marvin Agustin: From actor to restaurateur

MANILA, Philippines - Marvin Agustin is one of the many celebrities who didn’t let their success in show business stop them from pursuing their other passions; in his case, the food business.

“I’ve always wanted to put up a restaurant,” the latest advocate of the Bear Brand Laki Sa Gatas campaign reveals. “And I knew that with the kind of discipline that my mother taught us, I could someday make that dream come true.”

Strong mind and body

Part of that discipline, Marvin says, is making sure that he drinks his milk everyday.

“Having a strong mind and body is important to be able to pursue your dreams, and drinking milk helps you achieve that. I remember my mother even telling us about the nutrients that milk contains and explaining why I needed them,” he says, adding that he was thankful to Bear Brand for giving him the opportunity to join their campaign of encouraging kids to drink milk.

“I can relate to what the campaign is trying to say,” he says.

Venturing into the restaurant business

Marvin recalls it was during his stint as a restaurant server that he started dreaming of putting up a restaurant. Show business beckoned though, and he became one of the hottest matinee idols in the industry and paired off with some of the country’s biggest female celebrities.

Being the determined person that he is, he never let his success in the limelight stop him from fulfilling his dream of becoming a restaurateur.

“I enrolled at the International School for Culinary arts and Hotel Management to learn more about the business,” Marvin says.

His first venture into the food business started with the hugely successful Ricecapades, a chain of food stalls that serve rice topping variations. He then put up Oyster Boy Restaurant, which likewise gained a following among food lovers and now has branches across the metro.

“But my baby is Sumo Sam,” Marvin says, referring to the Japanese-American restaurant which, like his first two ventures, has expanded to several branches.

These restaurants were soon followed by more —John and Yoko at Greenbelt 5, Café Ten Titas in Gateway Mall, Marciano’s in Greenbelt 3, and Samurai Chef in Trinoma. Soon, he will also open Harajuku, a Euro-Japanese restaurant to be located at Eastwood in Libis.

With his success in show business and the restaurant industry, Marvin is clearly a good example of people who don’t let their success get into their heads. Instead, they use them as stepping stones to pursue their true passions in life.