WATCH: BonChon Philippines owner gives tips for aspiring restaurateurs

MANILA, Philippines — Thinking of franchising or opening your own restaurant?

Scott Tan, managing director of one of the country’s biggest fast casual restaurant chains, BonChon Philippines, shares what he learned so far from running his own restaurants for about a decade now.

“Any concept, may it be big, small, a stall type, a kiosk type, I think what I learned from this business is you need to have value for your product din,” he shared during a recent interview with Philstar.com.

Value, according to him, could be delivered in different ways.

“You could have expensive food, but if the food is huge and very good, people find value in that,” he clarified. “If you charge very expensive and it’s mediocre food, you lose that value.”

It could also work the opposite way, said Tan, who studied Economics at St. Mary’s College of California.

“Same as the other way around. You could have inexpensive food, 99 pesos. But nakakabusog s’ya. It’s filling, it’s good-quality food. That’s value for people.”

Value for money, he said, is always the Filipino customer’s major consideration in choosing goods and services.

“For us Filipinos, we always have a value for the hard-earned money that we have, ‘di ba? So I think, just having added value to your product should be one of the first things you need in the food business,” he explained.

Tan recently led the opening of his new restaurant, Caffe Freddo, at The Spa building, 9th avenue, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. The restaurant takes pride of its modern European brunch menu put together by Chef Markus Gfeller.

The menu includes a customizable all-day breakfast bowl, with white rice, brown rice, or savory oats as among the choices. Among the must-try’s, said Tan, are all-day brunch meals such as the Ube and Matcha Pancakes, Brioche French toast, Avocado Tartine, and  Muesli bowl. Popular mains include the Fried Chicken Confit & Fries, and Pork Porchetta. Desserts include Mango Granita, Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta, and Warm Berry Crumble. 

The restaurant also boasts of its coffee selection, which Tan said has been brewed from premium coffee beans of Bluestone Lane from New York City. 

“Third wave is very much alive, and as a coffee drinking country, I think the time is ripe to bring in premium coffee that is more than just a caffeine fix. I believe coffee can be something really special,” Scott said in a statement.

“My philosophy in business has always been…anyone and everyone deserves good food, and that includes beverages, and because I’m a fan of Bluestone Lane in New York City, I’ve decided to bring their coffee beans to local shores.” — Video by Deni Bernardo, editing by EC Toledo IV