Cebuano restaurateurs plan overseas venture

The United States and other parts of the world are now the primary targets for expansion ventures of Cebuano owned restaurants.

At least three restaurant operators in Cebu, expressed their plans to open outlets overseas starting this year, include Café Laguna, Chika-an Cebu, and Krua Thai.

In an interview with Café Laguna Chief Executive officer (CEO) and founder Julita Urbina, she said that the restaurant is currently clenching a deal for franchise arrangement to open an outlet in Florida and Hawaii.

Café Laguna is a chain of restaurants serving Filipino, and Vietnamese cuisine.

She hopes that the negotiation will be soon finalized so that Café Laguna could start its overseas venture.

According to Urbina, the restaurant is now more confident to expand as it has already set up its standardized operation and commissary facility located in Lahug, the site of the first Café Laguna restaurant in Cebu.

Through its franchise package, Café Laguna was able to branch out in Cagayan de Oro City. This time, Urbina said expansion will be directed to these two areas in America.

Earlier, Chika-an Restaurant owner Alex Derek H. Dytian announced that his company is currently preparing to bring Cebuano-cuisine to the American market, through an opening of Chika-an restaurant in California U.S.A. probably this year.

Dytian, who is the owner of renowned Creative Cuisine catering, Big Mao and Chika-an restaurants said he is working with his partner to open a Chika-an restaurant somewhere in California.

"We wanted to offer something that would cater to the Filipino market [in the US] but at the same time appealing to the Americans," Dytian said.

Also, Krua Thai Inc., a restaurant company that specializes in authentic Thai food, will open its Japan outlet this year, and hitting other two countries soon, in Guam, and the United States.

Krua Thai Inc. managing proprietor Anthony Ballreich said that its upcoming outlets in Guam and United States in South San Francisco, California are on the pipeline already.

Unlike other restaurants that have put its belief on franchising scheme, Krua Thai, on the other hand is adopting otherwise, saying the international outlets will be managed by the company, and is not keen of offering its overseas venture to franchise deals.

"We want to have our own. We have proved that we can manage," he said, although the Krua Thai branches in Guam and in the US will be operated in partnership with a relative of the Ballreichs.