New breed of franchise concepts rising
New franchises and entrepreneurs are going more creative and innovative than what used to be usual fare of food concepts.
Take for instance, the new franchise concepts being groomed by the country’s franchising authority Franchise Corp. Philippines. These are Poke Phoke, Rua Seguridad, and Qualitech.
Alta Lyttle, president of Gruppos AAA Restaurant Corp., was originally thinking of a “Mongolian Barbecue” concept for her new restaurant.
But she also agreed that Mongolian Barbecue is already a little of the past. Then her sister brought up the idea of Poke, which is a generic name for a raw dish bowl of Hawaiian origin. It is a marinated raw fish dish.
But Poke is different from Japanese sashimi and sushi as the fish used in the dishes are not marinated and the preparation involves very precise slicing of the fish. Sushi is also made with a flavored rice, which is not seen in poke.
Poke might be considered much more similar to ceviche but it is not cured with any citrus juices, unlike the ceviche or the local “kinilaw.” It is merely a bowl of raw fish, roughly cut, dressed in an Asian dressing and sometimes with some nuts, fruit and vegetables added.
Lyttle pursued the Poke food with a Filipino twist. Now, Lyttle’s Poke Poke menu includes cooked meat so customers can have options. A customer can create his own combination, but for those not confident enough Poke Poke, has their own suggestions.
They also offer cooked meat bowls. They have tuna, salmon, tenderloin and chicken.
“It is a combination of the east and west,” said Lyttle. That is why the Poke Poke has the tagline “East Meets West.”
Lyttle, a restaurateur with earlier forays including Locavore, said they have three stores so far for Poke Poke. Its first franchise is located in Katipunan.
“We have more healthy eaters, who are mostly millennials because they know what it is,” she said. It is a bit expensive though with a regular bowl costing between 1200 to 1280. The most affordable is the 1120 Poke cup.
Franchise fee is 13.5 million, including a fee of 1500,000 for 50-60 square meter in-line store.
Another interesting franchise is Rua Seguridad (Road Safety), the country’s leading manufacturer and distributor of road paints.
Company President Jean Barry Cruz said they are now in the process of offering their existing distributors to convert as franchisees.
Actually, Rua Seguridad is offering a distribution franchise which will be responsible for a particular geographic location. The company comes from the Chavacano dialect “rua” for road and “siguridad” for safety.
The company is estimating a total of 36 franchises nationwide. So far, they have existing 13 distributors already which can be converted into franchises. A franchisee has to pay 11.12 million in total fees only with a monthly sales quota of 1870,000.
Cruz, said the 1870,000 is so easy to achieve given the huge road network being implemented under the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program because 3-4 percent of the 18-trillion infrastructure program is allotted for road safety roads.
Part of the franchise package is a routing distribution system that they have to follow to hit the target and ensure business growth.
The system has also mapped out all the contractors, estimated at 6,000 nationwide, engaged in the construction of national roads that the franchisee in a particular area must deal with to sell their road paints.
The contract is good for 2 years, but a franchisee has the option to give it up and return the inventories before the end of the contract period.
Cruz said they have the technology for road paints, which can easily dry in five minutes and will last for two years. It is also specifically formulated to suit the warm Philippine climate.
Cruz, which started as an importer of road paints, has shifted into domestic manufacturing at its plant in Marilao, Bulacan. He claimed to be the largest road safety marking paint manufacturer in the country.
Another unique franchise being offered is a diagnostic and medical services by Qualitech, which is owned by Henry Monzones.
Qualitech is a technologically adept tertiary diagnostic laboratory with highly trained and competitive staff. It boasts of complete, fully automated and up-to-date diagnostic machines.
Monzones said the Qualitech franchisees can provide the highest level of care and expertise in diagnostic and medical fields serving an all ages clientele from all walks of life.
Monzones anchored his optimism on the rising demand for diagnostic tests and services such as x-rays, blood tests and other laboratory works because more Filipinos need medical clearance for employment both local and overseas.
In addition, there is a growing awareness among Filipinos to take stock of their health.
At present, Qualitech has 5 company-owned outlets in Las Piñas, San Pablo City, Lipa, and Taguig.
Qualitech, which has a proven track record of 18 years of profitable operation, is now ready to franchise at 13 million to 16 million depending on the services.
Normally, a diagnostic clinic with three to five machines can already provide a good range of the most common diagnostic services. The return on investment is estimated in 3 years.
According to Monzones, a Qualitech clinic requires only 3-5 people. Qualitech also offers the most affordable rates, being 3 to 4 times cheaper than other more clinics, because they target the masses.