Financial Adviser: 5 Business Lessons Everyone Can Learn from Eric and Emelda Teng, Founders of Mango Tree PH

Few Filipino entrepreneurs have successfully crossed both retail and restaurants with the same discipline and consistency. From building a fashion brand in the local market to franchising and introducing Mango Tree, a well-known Thai restaurant concept from Bangkok, Eric and Emelda Teng steadily expanded their footprint into one of the country’s most recognizable multi-brand restaurant groups.

Before becoming widely associated with the dining industry, the Tengs first made their mark in retail. In 1999, they founded Maldita, a women’s fashion brand that became a recognizable name in local malls. Their move into hospitality came later, when they decided to bring Mango Tree to the Philippines and introduce a more authentic Thai dining experience to the local market.

At the time, Filipino diners were becoming more exposed to international cuisines through travel and changing lifestyles, and the Tengs recognized a growing market for authentic Thai food. What began as a single restaurant gradually gained traction, eventually expanding into multiple outlets and establishing Mango Tree as one of the most prominent Thai dining brands in the Philippines.

As their restaurant operations grew, the Tengs continued to diversify their portfolio beyond Thai cuisine. Over the years, they introduced well-established international dining brands to the Philippine market, including Tung Lok, a Singapore-based Chinese restaurant group known for its modern take on classic Chinese cuisine, and Wee Nam Kee, one of Singapore’s best-known Hainanese chicken rice brands.

They also expanded into Japanese concepts such as Genki Sushi and Sen-Ryo, along with other Japanese dining brands including Yakiniku King and Niku Niku Oh!! Kome. At the same time, they developed their own concepts such as Kureji, Rossini, and Wong Place, which further strengthen their presence across different cuisines and customer segments.

Today, Eric and Emelda Teng lead one of the country’s largest multi-brand restaurant groups, with a portfolio of around 50 outlets spanning Thai, Japanese, Chinese, and other international dining concepts.

What began as a shift from fashion retail into food franchising has evolved into a scalable hospitality business built on disciplined execution and a strong understanding of mall-based consumer demand. Through their growing network of global franchise partnerships and homegrown brands, the Tengs have established a reputation as operators who can successfully introduce and expand international restaurant concepts in the Philippine market.

Beyond building restaurants, Eric also served as president of the Restaurant Owners of the Philippines (RestoPH) and now holds the title of President Emeritus, reflecting his continued influence and long-standing leadership in the industry.

How did Eric and Emelda Teng grow Mango Tree from a single branch into a leading Thai dining brand with multiple outlets across the Philippines? What operational strategies helped the Tengs manage and scale their restaurant group across different brands and cuisines?

Here are the five business lessons every entrepreneur can learn from Eric and Emelda Teng, founders of Mango Tree PH:

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When an industry turns against you and your business starts to struggle, moving into a new field can open a second chance, but only if it is done with discipline. In difficult periods, it is easy to make emotional decisions or jump into a new venture simply because it looks profitable.

Without discipline, a pivot becomes desperation. But when an entrepreneur carries over the same habits that built the original business such as careful planning, cost control and operational systems, the pivot becomes strategic rather than reactive.

Business discipline also protects what matters most during a crisis: cash. Entering a new industry often requires significant capital, and without strong discipline, the risk of overspending or expanding too fast becomes even higher.

Maintaining structure ensures that the entrepreneur can manage the transition carefully and build the new business on stable foundations. More importantly, discipline allows the entrepreneur to transfer what they already know into a different industry, which turns inti a competitive advantage.

Having operated mall-based retail brands since the 1990s, Eric and Emelde Teng experienced firsthand how the entry of foreign brands in 2009 began reshaping the Philippine retail landscape. Even with their business reaching more than 70 stores at its peak, the Tengs saw that the challenges were no longer temporary but structural, and they knew they had to find a new growth platform before the decline became irreversible.

The turning point came unexpectedly when they were offered to franchise Mango Tree. Emelda, who frequently traveled to Thailand, immediately recognized the strength of the brand and urged Eric to pursue it. Instead of hesitating, they moved quickly, understanding that timing matters most when an opportunity is rare and high-quality.

What ultimately differentiated them from other potential franchisees was their mindset toward brand integrity. While others asked how Mango Tree could be adjusted to fit the Philippine market, Eric insisted on keeping the concept as authentic as possible. Their pivot succeeded because they did not abandon the discipline they learned in retail; instead, they transferred it into hospitality.

Years of managing forecasting, inventory systems, and mall operations gave them an advantage in scaling restaurant brands within the same ecosystem. Eric also valued the restaurant business because it offered direct customer feedback, which allowed faster adjustments than retail, where trends and inventory decisions are made months in advance.

Most importantly, the Tengs approached the restaurant industry with a systems mindset rather than a purely creative one, seeing operational challenges not as problems but as opportunities to improve execution.

“We've always been in the retail business with the malls since the 1990s,” Eric Teng says. “Our first retail brand was called the 99 Pesos Store which eventually morphed into Maldita, and then after that, we sort of felt difficulty in retail, the industry. It was being challenged by a lot of factors. Back then, 2009–2010, there were a lot of foreign brands coming in. So we felt this invasion of foreign brands was killing a lot of the local brands. At our peak, I think we had about 70 plus stores. And so we were really in a difficult situation.

“But then, accidentally, somebody from the Thai embassy called me up to arrange a meeting, which I don't know why. And it turned out that meeting led me to this franchise director for Mango Tree.

“And the thing is, at that time, the person who kept going to Thailand was actually Emelda. So Emelda told me that, you know, if you're meeting someone and it's Mango Tree, kunin mo. Turned out, it was Mango Tree. So, yon, I called my wife. ‘Oh, it's Mango Tree. Oh sige, kunin na natin.’

“So maybe it was fate. It was something that just fell on our laps when we thought things were really hard in retail and an opportunity would come up pala. We're very lucky that we were considered for Mango Tree.

“When they came in to look for an operator, they spoke to four potential franchisees. Three of them were in the restaurant business already, and I was the only one who was in the retail business. And then the other three asked them how to change the concept or taste of the brand to fit the Philippine market.

“And I was the only one who said, ‘How do you keep the Thai taste for the Philippine market? I don't want to change anything.’ I want it completely as authentic as possible because my mother is from Thailand and we wanted something really authentic.

“When I was with my mom, I remember we were looking for Thai food. It's not the same. I'm not saying it's bad. But I'm saying it wasn't the same Thai food that I grew up with, or the way my mom makes it, or the way it's presented.

“And I took it sometimes na parang fate din because my wife and I, our first date was in a Thai restaurant. What is it about Thai restaurant that sort of naka-tsamba ako sa asawa ko yon. On our first date nagustuhan naman niya ako. So nagkatuluyan kami sa isang Thai restaurant. So maybe there's something with the Thai culture for me.

“I told my wife that retail is harder than restaurants. No matter how one thinks about the restaurant industry being a pressure cooker, being hellish, being 7 days a week nonstop, that is retail.

“And we understood retail. We understood retail inventory management. We understood forecasting. We were looking at what the customer might want six months from now, so we're always very future-focused.

“And in restaurants, they tend to be focused on tomorrow. What are we gonna buy? Put on our plate? Making sure that everything is presented well. Well, restaurant is the food service business on a retail mode on a 1-on-1 customer mode. And that's what I enjoy now. Because in retail, I don't see my customers. In restaurants, I get to see my friends. I get to see whether they had a good or bad experience, whether they have praises or criticisms or complaints. I'm happy to hear that because that's direct feedback. That allows me to shift faster.

“We had some family restaurants before that I already knew, but I wasn't involved, it was my father. And from a distance, I knew how it works. I knew the difficulties and I knew the struggles. And I also have friends who have restaurants and I knew their difficulties and I knew their struggles.

“And as far as I'm concerned, when I see their problems, it's not problems actually eh. In fact, many of them were opportunities eh. They just were looking at it at a very negative angle.

“So, I got excited because Mango Tree is one of my favorite restaurants in Bangkok. Every time we go to Bangkok, it's like I must go. So parang pag di ako nakakain sa Mango Tree parang feeling ko bitin yung punta ko sa Thailand.”

When entrepreneurs grow too early, they often run out of cash or lose operational consistency. Expansion creates hidden pressure such as more branches, more staff and more suppliers. If the systems are not ready, growth becomes chaos. And once quality drops, the brand suffers, even if sales are rising.

But when a business commits to growth with discipline, it gains a strategic advantage. Expanding before demand peaks allows the company to secure prime locations and establish customer loyalty before competitors catch up.

Growth should be driven by readiness.  Done correctly, early expansion becomes a competitive weapon. Done recklessly, it becomes the fastest way to destroy a business that was already winning.

Right from the beginning, Eric prioritized absorbing the business model over enjoying the product. He understood that growth depends on mastering the mechanics behind the brand. Instead of being impressed by the ambiance, he focused on how the business was run. That mindset allowed them to reduce the uncertainty of expansion because they did not treat Mango Tree like a restaurant—they treated it like an operational blueprint.

The Tengs approached the first branch like a training ground, not a launch event. Many entrepreneurs treat the first branch as a “soft opening” where mistakes are acceptable. The Tengs treated it like a quality control laboratory. This is why they were able to scale later because they did not outsource excellence. They personally experienced the pressure points of operations, which helped them build systems that were grounded in reality, not theory.

They also scaled by building systems early before demand forced them to. They were preparing for growth even before it arrived. Most restaurant owners build systems after they expand, when problems start happening. The Tengs did the opposite: they built training and organization early, which is why their business could handle increasing volume without collapsing.

The Tengs also used customer feedback as an engine for refinement. Eric describes restaurant feedback as “prangka” and sometimes painful, but valuable. That is important because scaling requires consistency, and consistency requires continuous correction.

Instead of being defensive, they treated criticism as a tool for improving plating, food consistency, and service execution. That created a compounding effect: the more customers came, the more feedback they received, and the faster the business improved.

Opening the BGC flagship was not just expansion, it was a strategic signal. Signing a 430-square-meter space before the building was even built was a calculated bet on the future. This was not reckless confidence; it was retail-style thinking applied to restaurants.

In malls, the best operators understand that the best locations are secured before the crowd arrives. By committing early, they positioned Mango Tree as the dominant Thai brand in the area, which made later growth easier because the flagship created credibility and market leadership.

“I remember the first time we met with the franchise director here in a hotel in Makati,” Eric says. “We were only talking about basic numbers. And he said, ‘Let's go to Bangkok and we'll talk with the chairman. We'll see each other.’

“So we went to Bangkok and I saw their restaurant and ‘wow, this is interesting. It's very cozy. The food when they presented it was so special. But frankly, I didn't taste anything. I couldn't eat anything because I was so engrossed talking to them about the business.

“I was just taking notes and asking as many questions as I can to get their…brain juice spilled out, so I can understand their way of management. And it was very special. It was very unique, very distinct.

“It's something between a franchise and a full-on chef-driven restaurant. It's something in between. They have ways of giving you a chef-experience restaurant but actually run it like a franchise. That's not very common. There's a lot of newness to it, and then translating the Thai experience to the Thai logistics and supply chain to a Philippine market with a different set of logistics, that was a challenge. But it was not impossible to overcome. Actually, it was very easily solvable from where we sat at that time.

“So when we had our first branch in Trinoma, we were very hands on. Really, really hands on, like I mopped floors. We had to clean the table, the floor, everything you want. For 24 hours we didn't sleep before the day we opened, because we had to make sure everything is okay.

“Thankfully, we were rewarded. We had a full house when we opened. Sabi ko, ‘Ok thank you, Lord. This was what we've been waiting for.’ Nakatulog din kami. It was a sign that we did a lot of things right.

“In hindsight, even to this day, how we were able to organize and train our people was already planned back in 2010. And as time went on, more and more people kept coming. Tatawag sa akin, ‘Can we have a table?’”

“Syempre, we're so happy but we wanted to make sure yung food consistent,” Emelda says. “Plating mo, everything perfect. Actually, we enjoyed yung restaurant business. I think yung difference ng restaurant sa retail is kasi yung retail, parang oh ano yung ilalabas mo? You have to keep it a secret, fresh. Yung color na ilalabas mo should be, you know, ikaw lang nakakaalam. Walang pwedeng malabas pa in advance.

“But in the food business kasi, it's like entertainment eh. So it's like you're having a good time with people. Dining, having a good conversation, good or bad, for us is good news. And it's something we need to improve. So, very, ano ba? Prangka. Very direct. This food is not good, the vegetable is not fresh, or something like that. So that improves your, you know, yung mindset mo lalo na i-improve.

“Kasi you get all the feedback, you know if you get yung mga comments or mga criticism, mga ganyan. For us kasi, it's like nakaka-hurt minsan pero you know you learn eh. As you get the feedback, you learn and you get to be better. No restaurateur is perfect eh and mistakes happen every day, so talagang, the whole point of feedback is a good thing, good or bad.”

“We were expecting to screw up,” Eric says. “Saan kaya kami magkakamali? We had to correct. Surprisingly, our rating was very high. Because we're anticipating, yung mga experience mo na pag kumain ka sa restaurant, ayaw mo ng ganitong service. Ayaw mo ng ganitong mangyari sa'yo. So parang aware na aware ka on that.

“The thing about restaurants, unlike fashion, fashion namin is ladies clothes. I don't wear my fashion. I don't wear my products. But in the restaurant, you know I go to other restaurants all the time. So, you know what you want.

“So, I had to be very responsible and not screw it up. I knew in the Philippines, it wasn't about one special restaurant lang for us. It has to be scalable. Because coming from retail, I understand about the necessity of scale, especially working within the mall ecosystem. So I know how many Mango Trees I wanted to open.

“On the third year, we opened Mango Tree sa BGC. It was the biggest one because its 430 square meters. I remember pa nga we signed that space before the building was built. When we opened sa Trinoma, we brought our franchisor to BGC and said, ‘This is where your future Mango Tree will be’. And they said, where? So they couldn't see anything because it was grassland in 2010. Fence pa lang.

“Super bago lang kami sa field ng restaurant, and we got a big space. So parang nagtinginan kaming dalawa. Ano ba ito? Compliment? O matatakot ako? Parang you guys must be brave. But long story short again, it was again full house. We were the biggest Thai restaurant in the area. I think today, very few Thai restaurants are of that scale or that size.

“Today, we have 15 Mango Tree outlets. We are now the second biggest operator of Mango Tree in the world.”

Building a balanced brand portfolio by diversifying across both franchises and homegrown concepts is one of the smartest ways to achieve long-term growth without exposing the business to unnecessary risk.

In the restaurant industry, trends shift quickly like what is popular today may lose relevance in a few years. If a company relies on only one concept or one cuisine category, it becomes vulnerable to changing customer tastes or stronger competitors entering the market.

Franchise brands provide stability because they come with an established identity, a proven operating system, and strict standards that force discipline. This reduces trial-and-error and allows operators to scale faster with more predictable outcomes. It also helps strengthen credibility with landlords and customers because the brand already has recognition and trust.

At the same time, developing homegrown brands gives the business a different advantage which is ownership and long-term control. Unlike franchises, homegrown concepts allow the company to innovate freely and build brands that can eventually become major assets.

When both approaches are combined, the portfolio becomes stronger and more resilient. The franchise brands serve as the dependable foundation, while the homegrown brands provide long-term growth opportunities.

The Tengs did not diversify by chasing trendy concepts. Instead, they expanded step by step using each successful brand to build credibility and unlock the next growth opportunity.

After Mango Tree gained traction, it did more than generate revenue; it gave them a reputation as disciplined operators. In the restaurant industry, where principals and franchise owners often know one another, that credibility traveled fast.

Genki Sushi eventually took notice, partly because Mango Tree’s brand was already well regarded in Japan, and they saw the Tengs as the type of operator who could protect the brand’s standards. Their first Genki Sushi branch validated both the concept and their ability to execute.

More importantly, each franchise taught them new systems. Over time, their relationships with the principals created a chain reaction where one partnership led to another. This opened doors to additional international brands such as Tung Lok, Niku Niku Oh!! Kome, and Yakiniku King.

Yet the Tengs also learned that global popularity did not guarantee local success. That is why they treated diversification as a deliberate strategy, not as hype. They balanced their portfolio across different cuisines, customer segments, and dining price points, which ensure that the group did not depend on one concept alone.

At the same time, they also experimented with homegrown brands like Kureji, not as vanity projects, but as controlled tests of innovation. In the end, their restaurant group evolved into something more strategic than a collection of outlets. It became a diversified brand portfolio where franchises provided systems and scalability, while homegrown concepts provided learning and long-term upside.

“So the success of Mango Tree led us to a lot of friends,” Eric says. “Apparently, I just found out that in the restaurant industry, people tend to know one another. So Genki Sushi got wind of our name and also found out that since Mango Tree in Japan is well regarded, they sort of liked the idea of us operating Genki Sushi. So here we are.

“We opened our first Genki Sushi in Ayala BGC. It was a new building. It was a mall that's meant to be for food lang, and it was the only location that was available. The first day was dry. But the second day, somebody came in and blogged about us. And by the third day, it was full—and then may pila na. After that, it was amazing. Hulog ng langit lang talaga. And then Genki Sushi is now known na. Right now in the Philippines, we have 15 Genki Sushi branches na din.

“Franchises have systems. We are a system-driven restaurant operator. So Japan is a very organized system for restaurants. Their system is different from Thais. So we learned a lot also for sushi and sashimi. They're very strict. There was one point when I said, I give up. I'm not going to do this because they are so strict with everything, but then, eventually that was the discipline.

“And through those Japanese friendships, we got to know some people who eventually led us to other brands. Sunod-sunod na sya. We did other brands such as Tung Lok, Niku Niku Oh! Kome and Yakiniku King.

“It was good, but it taught us a lesson. You can’t just say, ‘I like it, it’s going to work out.’ Because there are brands that are big internationally but will still fail here. And there are also brands that are already defunct outside, and yet become very successful here.

“When I entertain or host other nationalities who want to explore the Philippine market, they will tell me, ‘Oh, I’m number 1 in Singapore, I’m number 1 in Japan, I’m number 1 here, I’m number 1 there.’ They assume that when they come to the Philippines, they will automatically become number 1, but I just keep quiet, because I know that’s not a guarantee.

“If you have that kind of attitude, thinking you can come in and immediately dominate, then that means you didn’t do your homework. You really have to study the Philippine culture.

“We also tried creating our own brands. We experimented with a Peruvian restaurant, and we also developed Kureji. Kureji is a sizzling ramen concept. We have three outlets. We have in Ali Mall, Quezon City, and Baguio.

“But it wasn’t really about just trying random concepts. We wanted to balance our portfolio. I learned to use that fancy word ‘no, balance that portfolio. Some are foreign franchises, some are Western, some are Asian. And some have to be homegrown, so that we would have our own concepts too since we have all this knowledge base and supply base, we also have to build our own brands.”

Building a business that stays relevant as markets change is what allows a company to survive shifts in customer behavior and economic conditions. If a company remains static, it does not matter how strong it was before because eventually it will become outdated.

Relevance protects a business from becoming a “one-hit wonder.” It ensures that the company can continue attracting customers even when trends change, new players enter, or economic conditions shift.

More importantly, relevance is what makes growth sustainable. A business that remains relevant can expand with confidence because it is building on real demand, not temporary hype. It also creates resilience that even if one product line or concept underperforms, the overall organization survives because it has adapted its offerings and strategy to match the market’s new direction.

The Tengs did not build their business by simply following food trends at the moment. Their strategy was rooted in a clear understanding that the Philippine market was undergoing a long-term shift, one driven by rising affluence, increased travel, and a growing middle class that would eventually demand better dining experiences.

The Tengs’ strategy can be understood less as “brand diversification” and more as a deliberate attempt to solve the economic realities of the Philippine restaurant industry through scale and segmentation.

At the core is a simple structural problem: Philippine foodservice is high-cost by default. Import dependence raises cost of goods, logistics are fragmented, and operating inefficiencies punish smaller players. In this environment, growth is not merely expansion, it is a form of cost defense.

By increasing the number of outlets, they created purchasing power, improved supplier bargaining leverage, and spread fixed overhead costs such as head office and marketing across a wider revenue base. This is classic economies of scale, but applied in a consumer-facing industry where many operators remain trapped in “single-store economics.”

What makes their approach more strategic is that they did not pursue scale through one brand alone. Instead, they built a portfolio of concepts that functions like a multi-engine growth model. In business terms, they reduced concentration risk such that if one cuisine cycle slows down, another can carry momentum; if one demographic segment weakens, another continues spending.

This is not just diversification for variety, it is diversification as risk management, similar to how conglomerates build resilience across sectors. Each brand becomes an economic asset with a different demand profile: some are positioned as stable cash-flow generators, others as high-growth brands, and others as long-term market positioning plays.

More importantly, their portfolio acts as a hedge against changing consumer preferences, which is one of the most unstable variables in hospitality. They recognized that “newness” depreciates quickly, especially among younger consumers, so instead of betting everything on one concept’s longevity, they treated consumer taste as a shifting cycle that must be continuously refreshed.

In this sense, their restaurant group behaves like an adaptive platform where the system survives even if individual brands rise and fall. The strategic lesson is that the Tengs did not build a restaurant business, they built a scalable operating infrastructure, then plugged multiple brands into it.

“The Philippines is growing very fast,” Eric says. “The restaurant industry, by some estimates, from 2024 to 2029, is going to double. The economy kasi ng Philippines has grown so much, and it will keep growing. That affluence and travel experience eh nag-iba na. So the affluence here, people going outside, seeing something, coming back, and then expecting better things. Malaki na yung group na yun. And our population is big. If just 10 percent of that population suddenly goes to middle class, that's like 12 million people kaagad. Now, 12 million is double the population of Singapore ‘no. So you suddenly see people who want better things, who are willing to spend for a lot of nicer things.

“Our food is not cheap. When you go to Japan, you'll see that the food in Japan is cheaper. In the Philippines, it's generally expensive because we don't have a lot of things that we need for the restaurant. It's all imported, so the importation cost is very high.

“So, also to explain why we thought we needed more restaurants, because our cost of goods gets lower the more restaurants you have. Because you are now leveraging your supply network for a much bigger market base. So, let's say a marketing expenditure ko before was five percent. It's now going to be less than one percent. Nada- dilute lahat eh, and so our head office expense nag dilute din.

"I see what the restaurant industry is all about; it's future-proof by itself. I've said this before, kahit na food delivery system, kahit na yung mga work from home, it's not going to take away the restaurant. People need restaurants the same way they need churches.

“Some restaurants I'm attracted to because of the way it's presented, or how the public consumes the concept of that restaurant. The age group is different as well. Mango Tree seems to appeal to an older audience in Thailand. Genki Sushi seems to be attracting younger people.

“The risk is, we think what is new is new, but actually to them, matanda na yon, that it's no longer relevant. So even if I like something, I have to be asking so many questions pa. Would the kids like it? Would the young people like it?

“I don't think only in terms of profit. A very important part for me is growth. Ok, scale and growth, because I know one restaurant that fails doesn't mean the restaurant will fail. One restaurant that succeeds won't mean that the second restaurant will succeed.

“Essentially, you're building pillars that stack on itself. So when it's stronger, you have a better foundation. You can grow. Some restaurants are there because the cash flow is good. Some restaurants are there because the profit is good. But as a whole, it comes to balance. I derive cash flow from this restaurant. I derive profit from that restaurant. It's a combination. It's a pillared system.

Sustainable expansion does not come from opening more branches, it comes from building a system and culture that can scale without losing control. Growth becomes fragile when execution depends on the founder’s presence, because no entrepreneur can personally supervise every outlet forever. The real breakthrough happens when execution becomes embedded in the organization through trained people who operate with a sense of ownership where employees treat the business as a responsibility, not just a job.

When teams have that mindset, systems stop being mere checklists. Standards become habits. People take initiative, solve problems without being told, and protect consistency even under pressure. That is what makes growth repeatable.

At the same time, expansion requires curiosity. Leaders who stay curious remain open to feedback and keep refining processes instead of assuming the first version is already correct. Combined with real customer insight, this creates a business that adapts while it scales.

The Tengs’ ability to grow did not rest on personal endurance alone. Their real advantage was organizational: they built a leadership model that prioritizes ownership over hierarchy. Instead of relying on constant founder supervision, they developed a structure where execution was carried by the team itself. Their emphasis on kusang loob and malasakit points to a deeper strategy, where they did not simply train employees to follow instructions, but cultivated a culture where each person understood their role and acted without waiting to be told.

This operating culture was reinforced by a strong learning orientation. The Tengs repeatedly emphasize curiosity not as a personality trait, but as a strategic posture. In scaling environments, certainty often becomes a liability because it breeds complacency. By embracing confusion and constantly asking questions, they avoided the common trap of early success by assuming that the first winning formula will remain valid forever.

At the same time, their curiosity was grounded in customer truth. The Tengs do not reject market reports or analytics; they reject the assumption that data alone produces certainty. Instead, they treat customer reaction as the final validation mechanism.

“Whenever we open restaurants, that 2-week period is like hell,” Eric says. “Two weeks of stress, two weeks of frustration. Opening a restaurant is like giving birth, pero when I look at how other people react to the stress and how we react to it, to me, it's exciting eh. It's a challenge, and the challenge is exciting. ‘Oh, malapit na, malapit na, pero may problema pa rin. Ayusin yung problema, pero malapit na rin. And then you open—ah, it's wow.’ That's all the work we did for the last weeks, and we do it again and again.

“And sometimes you look back nga, sabi mo paano natin nagawa ito? Just this year, I was checking lang yung mga photos. Oh my God, this month pala I opened this, the following month, this month ito pala ulit, ito pala ulit. So parang, hindi ko nga napansin yung buong year.

"But credit should be given to the team. We have a good team. We have a fantastic team who's been with us for a long time. We don't handle the team; we are part of the team. They’re already experienced, they know what to do. You don’t even have to say it. Kusang loob is there. I'm so happy with our whole team talaga. May malasakit sila. You can see how malasakit they are to the company already.

“They don't treat it like work. They treat it as responsibility. Parang we don’t have to say anything na alam na nila. So like, ‘okay ma'am, you're busy’, they're doing this. Everybody has their own role.’

“I was asked me, ‘What would I advise daw for restaurant operators?’ First, I said, stay curious. You have to keep your curiosity. You have to keep your inner child. It has to be fun for you. If you come in with a very analytical mind, you probably won’t go into the restaurant business.

“Second, I saw this episode on the TV show Sex and the City that had a profound effect. There’s this gay character who said na it’s ok to be confused. I’d rather be confused than sure. Because if I’m confused, I ask questions. That hit me because I hated being confused before. But we're always confused.

“When you're doing something new, when you don't know the answer, you're supposed to be confused. You keep drilling until you get a better answer. And the better answer today is not the best answer tomorrow. You have to keep working on the answer.

“Whenever we do food testings, we look at the data as an exercise. We don’t really know whether it’s going to sell or not, whether we like it or not. But we look at people’s eyes—wow, we love this. Does it make sense to put it on the menu? Is it going to sell kaya at this price point? At this point in time in the year?

“Third, you have to smell the data. People go to AI all the time these days. They rely on AI-generated answers. You can look at trade reports, Statista reports, all the data in the world. But if you’re not there in the restaurant to actually smell, to see if it’s right or wrong, you're just believing in nonsense.

“I can read data, sure. That’s a guide. That’s a base for change. But that is not my Bible. So I still try to prove it to myself. Because I want to stay confused, and I’m curious whether the customer will like what we execute based on that data. You really have to be close enough to your customer to smell them, to be sure that you want to be in the restaurant business.

“If all you want is decoration in your portfolio like, ‘Oh, the restaurant is glamorous, I have nothing to do with my time, I’m going to open a restaurant,’ no, please don’t get into the restaurant business. You're just gonna kill a lot of people with what you're doing. You really have to have passion for it. You really have to like what you're doing.

“But if you ask me for one thing, one thing lang, don’t rob the country of your specialty, your uniqueness. Whether you're sharing your mom's recipes, your grandmother's, or you have something to contribute, by all means, come forward. Share it. Don’t be afraid, because then we cannot experience your special gift.

“The restaurant business is always looking for something new. Every single person can run a restaurant. Every single person I know can cook something because we all eat. And at the end of the day, your taste buds can decide what you cook, whether you like it or not. And if more people agree with you, and it’s so special, then you have a chance of creating one product that would sell.”

Henry Ong, RFP, is an entrepreneur, financial planning advocate and business advisor. Email Henry for business advice [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @henryong888