‘COO’ proves herself competent leader and entrepreneur

MANILA, Philippines - While others were busy doubting her management skills, the young and feisty Bea Pimentel was spending most of her time learning the ropes. As the “COO” or “child of the owners,” Bea knew she had to double her effort to acquire the necessary skills and step up to meet expectations.

Bea does not mind being tagged as the “COO.” It’s actually a badge she wears proudly. “We don’t chose the life that we get but we are able to decide on what to make of it,” she says. Bea’s parents, Boni and Rose Pimentel, were already a force to reckon with in the restaurant business even before they established Ilustrado in 1989.

“My parents are serial entrepreneurs. When they were asked to set up Ilustrado in this compound in Intramuros, they were already running a French restaurant in Bel-Air,” says Bea. “At the time, there were no successful and lasting fine dining restaurants in the Walled City. The odds were against them but they did it anyway. My parents rose from the ranks so they expected us to also work hard for what we wanted.” 

In 2004, before she even graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University, Bea was already immersed in the sales and marketing of Ilustrado, the family-owned restaurant in Intramuros, as a reservations officer. “The goal was to gain work experience, go to graduate school, get employed and climb the corporate ladder. When I started, I was working under my mom who’s handling administration as well as sales and marketing. I used to be the banquet coordinator and would handle wedding and corporate events. It was something that I was interested in because we grew up entertaining a lot. I also like talking to people and getting into the nitty gritty of their event details. In retrospect, I am most proud to have been able to successfully orchestrate three proposals during my stint as reservations officer,” she says. “They all said yes, of course!”

Soon enough, Bea found herself already training for the operations side of the business under her father. “As part of my training, I would carry big blocks of cement, wait tables and run around the restaurant wearing heels as I maintain my grace and poise,” recalls Bea. “One of the hardest I experienced as a food attendant was making Caesar Salad dressing, which we make from scratch. The tricky part in making the dressing is when you slowly add the oil in a steady stream while constantly whisking using a wooden spoon on a wooden bowl until smooth. If you add the oil too quickly, the dressing will separate and not emulsify. The longest, I think, went a good 10 minutes! It took me at least 20 tries to master it.”

During this time, Bea was treated like any other employee in Ilustrado. She had to clock in and even did split shifts. “I’m sure I also got special treatment at times but when I was there in the beginning, I wasn’t always the manager,” shares Bea. “I’d miss lunches because I had client meetings that went well over lunch hour or complained of tired, aching feet from all the standing and running around.”

When her mom passed away in 2009 and her dad took a backseat, Bea took it upon herself to bring herself into the equation. She knew she had to step in albeit not being fully ready. It was also at this time when she was finishing up an Entrepreneurship further studies program at the Asian Institute of Management. Bea then became general manager, but not without struggles and sacrifices.

“A lot of my colleagues were older than me and they’ve been with Ilustrado longer,” declares Bea. “It was a challenge to manage people older than you because of the age difference. With that alone came different perspectives. Something as simple as changing the format of our banquet event order was a big deal. In the same way, since they’ve been there longer than me, there’s more resistance to change. I had lobbied for the installation of our POS and what a hoot that was!” Bea persisted with her suggestions for change and ideas for improvement. Though not all of them were readily accepted at first, she saw them come to fruition later. “I learned from my dad that I always have to think of the betterment of our people. If for me this is business, for them, this is very personal. It has become personal for them because our employees’ have also grown and matured in Ilustrado. Our employees’ average tenure is 12 years.”

While Bea was just warming her seat, businesses were hit by the global financial crisis in 2009. She is quick to admit that their business was at its lowest during this time. “Ilustrado is big on weddings because of our location and we’re very near two famous churches – San Agustin and Manila Cathedral. Because of the crisis, however, people had to forego their plans. Budget cuts in government and corporate spending were also drastic. Our sales got hit hard,” explains Bea. “We tightened our belts, took everything in stride, and waited for it to pass.”

Despite the struggles, Bea remained resilient. Thanks to her immense love for the business that her parents started, she was able to weather the storm. “I love food. Everyone in my family loves to eat. My dad practically gets mad if we won’t eat. To diet for my upcoming wedding required massive effort and restraint on my part. It’s one of the hardest things that I had to do! I grew up in Ilustrado. I celebrated most of my birthdays there including my 7th and 18th birthdays. My fiancé asked my dad for my hand right there in Ilustrado’s Garden courtyard. The people I now call my colleagues saw me grow up before their very eyes,” she says. No wonder why Bea is very passionate about the business.

Ilustrado, which boasts of dining excellence in the walled city, continues to entice its clients with its heritage Filipino cuisine. The restaurant’s menu is predominantly occupied by Filipino-Spanish favorites fused with continental, Asian, and Western flavors.

“We’re gearing up for our 25th anniversary next year. My sister Bernice (Ilustrado’s pastry head) and I want to highlight three things: colonial, local and modern Filipino cuisines. The latter because it is symbolic of this time when there is a changing of guard; and for Ilustrado to show its capacity and capability to compete on a global scale and to elevate the Filipino cuisine,” says Bea.

As a successful businesswoman, Bea believes that it is important to have passion and vision for the business. “Don’t get into a business if you don’t love what you’ll be doing there. It’s also important to have a vision for your business because that vision will show you which way to go,” she says. “Finally, I think that you have to compensate yourself well. Any entrepreneur or would be entrepreneur should know this. Think of it this way, if you were to hire somebody to do what you are doing, how much are you, as the business owner, willing to pay for his or her service? You also have to be fair to yourself. It’s business and personal.”