Restaurant group expands, targets mainstream market

After establishing its name in the upscale category of restaurant and entertainment industry in the Philippines, the LJC Restaurant Group is diversifying its business to capture the huge mainstream market.

Known in Cebu as the operator of Café Adriatico and Café Havana, the company will soon be opening a mall-based chain of restaurants entering the quick-service restaurant category.

"The company's direction starting this year is moving towards addressing or tapping the wider market segments, and introduce a new concept of serving, but holding on to our quality standard established by the Group for years in the country," said Lorna Cruz-Ambas, executive vice president and general manager for LJC Group.

Initially, the company will be opening the new concept called "Tan Door King" grilled restaurant on May this year, located at the Mall of Asia in Metro Manila. The second one will be located in Quezon City.

According to Ambas this new venture of LJC Group will be opened for franchise deals, to make a chain of Tan Door King restaurants across the Philippines.

The packaging of the food menus and service will be lower, than that of the existing restaurants operated by LJC, Ambas said. However, she stressed that the quality it has known for will be strictly imposed.

The first five outlets of the Tan Door King will be managed by the LJC Group. The following outlets will be offered and be run by a franchisee, she said.

This is the first time that the LJC Group entered into serving the mainstream market, its existing chain of restaurants have all been targeting to the middle to upscale set of clientele.

LJC's Café Havana-Cebu branch recently celebrated its first year anniversary. Ambas said the company, together with some local partners still trying to get the Return of Investment (ROI) for the branch.

"We are still trying to understand and feel the Cebu market. It's certainly a unique market and very different from Metro Manila. What works in Manila, may not work in Cebu," Ambas said.

"We have to exert a little bit of extra for the Cebu market," she added. However, she said as the Havana Resto Bar is slowly adopting the unique Cebu market, she is confident that Café Havana as well as Café Adriatico will turn around in terms of performance in the following years.

Last year also, the company re-opened the Café Adriatico restaurant at Crossroads.

Both Café Adriatico-Crossroads and Café Havana Ayala Center are joint ventures between LJC Group and Comer y Bailar Inc., whose directors include respected names in the Cebu business community and professional circles.