Drinking alcoholic beverages along with our meals, especially dinner, has been the norm for some of us. With resto-bars opening left and right, it is hard to find that one restaurant that perfectly pairs their food with their drinks, though. These four entrepreneurs will tell you how to stay in the business which involves alcohol.
Drink Up: How to Stay in a Business That Involves Alcohol
4. Howard Co of Craft Pub and Grill
Former broker Howard Co is now one of the managing partners of Craft Pub and Grill. He got into the food business through an invite from his best friend’s brother. He was an Economics graduate and his first venture into business was a Spa and Fitness Center.
Craft serves good food along with free live music! Yes, they have bands playing every night. It is actually rare for a restaurant today to have live music playing. Craft supports the local music scene and they want to share the music to their customers by shouldering the band’s charges. Howard says that opening a restaurant is not just about for the love of food, but also about having passion to provide good food and experiences to your customers.
3. Sherwin Valenzuela of Cable Car
Cable Car has been around since 1992. It was one of the go-to bars of many in the Makati area. In 2009, Sherwin Valenzuela and 5 of his friends acquired the bar from its previous owner. They were officemates at a real estate company. He and his friends really wanted to put up their own bar, so when the former owner of Cable Car approached them about the place, it only took them less than a week to decide to buy it.
Since Cable Car was already an established brand, rebranding it was a struggle for them. Their menu stayed the same, though. Just a few upgrades on the presentation. There were already a lot of bars opening up by the time they acquired it. Their advantage? Beer Pong! Sherwin claims that they were the first place to offer Beer Pong to their customers. He also says that every bar should provide their customers with good food, service, and entertainment.
2. Alec Tempongko of The Perfect Pint
Alec Tempongko used to work at a spirits company and when he retired, he researched about the different businesses that he could get into. He looked at the growing trends in the country, and saw growth in the popularity of draft beer. So, in 2011, along with this two brothers, he opened The Perfect Pint.
The Perfect Pint serves local craft beer, so the beers are guaranteed flavorful and unique. In fact, they are only served in their restaurant. Although Alex came from a spirits company, he still studied how to brew beer. He says that is isn’t easy and it takes a lot of time. They brew their own beers themselves and each craft beer is perfectly paired with the food they serve. Seeing their customers happy with their food and drinks is what inspires him to brew even more. He says that being unique plays a factor in staying in the business.
1. Stephen Carroll of Don Papa Rum
Prior to starting Don Papa Rum, Stephen Carroll used to work for a different spirits company, so the industry is not new to him. He noticed that the rum market in Europe is large and growing, and Europeans are interested with rums coming from different parts of the world, including the Philippines.
The difference between Don Papa Rum and other rums available in the country is that it is made from sugar canes that are grown in Negros Occidental, the Sugarlandia of the Philippines. Stephen was also fascinated by the designs made by Filipinos. They won awards for the bottle design of Don Papa 10, the limited edition 10-year old rum. Although putting up your own business is a daunting at first, Stephen says to take the plunge and just enjoy the ride.
Being in the resto-bar scene can really be difficult with many players already in it. Keep these tips from successful entrepreneurs in mind, and you are sure to have a successful business!
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