Restaurateur sees sizable untapped market in Cebu
Despite the fast growing restaurant business in
Banking on Cebu’s growing market for grilled food serving, Asian grill restaurant Kaona Grill plans to put up four more outlets in the next two years.
Kaona Food Groups Inc., has been in the restaurant business for over five years, bringing in the Kaona Restaurant brand, which was transferred from Cebu Business Park outlet to Cebu’s food strip area in A.S. Fortuna.
In an interview with Kaona Grill operations manager Giandi P. Pages, he said that the market in Cebu for grilled foods and other Asian inspired cuisine offers good opportunity despite the proliferation of restaurants in the same category.
He said because of Cebu’s position as tourism center, at the same time the hotspot for investments and business in the country, the restaurant business opportunity has grown significantly.
Pages said there is enough market for everybody, that is why restaurant business in Cebu is seen to be very profitable in the recent years, as tourists are more and more flocking in numbers at the same time the purchasing power of local residents has also grown.
Pages added that the company might even consider offering a franchise package later on to invite possible partners for the company’s planned expansion but as of now they are still inclined into opening a company owned outlet somewhere in uptown Cebu.
It may open for franchise opportunities for its future outlets within the next two years.
The resort packaging and tropical ambiance of Cebu has also helped grill restaurants here thrive and a lot of them have opened almost in every corner in the metropolis.
For another outlet, the company will have to spend an average of about P2 million to set up the restaurant infrastructure that will highlight a garden ambiance.
The name “Kaona” is derived from a Cebuano-dialect which means “let’s eat”, emphasizing the restaurant’s offering of authentic Cebuano tastes of food offerings, especially grilled seafood and meat.
According to Pages, the restaurant has been able to get its Return of Investments (ROI) in just one year of operation, one of the indications that good restaurants in Cebu is bound to succeed specifically if it is offering quality product and service.
The Pages family is also operating canteens in different corporate establishments in Cebu.
The Kaona Grill venture is a partnership with another Cebuano restaurateur Edwin Ortiz, who also operates the Table 7 posh restaurant at the Cebu Business Park.
- Latest
- Trending
