FOCUSED ON FOOD

ERICKSON FARILLAS mastered the retail industry before dipping his toes in the restaurant world, introducing he Filipino palate to a wide variety of cuisines

After being in the retail business for 25 years as the cofounder of Plains and Prints with wife Roxanne, Erickson Farillas never thought he would get into the food business. In 2011, he stumbled into a hole in the wall restaurant in Hong Kong called Ramen Nagi. Inspiration struck; he had been searching for a long time to find a place in the Philippines that served authentic ramen. “It gave us the idea of bringing the brand home. It took two years of persuading the Japanese owners to allow us to bring it to the country,” says Erickson, “they were going back and forth to the Philippines to see if it is really a suitable market. On their third visit, my wife and I made them agree, so I guess the third time is really a charm.”

Today, Erickson is the president of the Nagi Group, operating several food concepts. After opening Ramen Nagi, there was Fatfook, which serves authentic Taiwanese cuisine, Akimitsu Tendon, offering authentic tempura and tendon by seasoned tendon masters, Propaganda Bistro with their selection of Vietnamese cuisine, Hakata Ton-ichi, another ramen chain with an affordable price point and Wonderbowl, in collaboration with Ramen Nagi for artisanal ramen bowls and specialty cocktails.

With all the success in the Nagi Group, Erickson believes one of the highlights of working in the industry is the commitment of facing challenges to avoid becoming complacent. “You will always have the drive to strive more. Just like in this business, we aim to bring more food concepts to the country,” he says, “since we Filipinos love to eat, and we wish that every time cravings kick in, our restaurants will always be within reach.”

2011 saw the rise of social media as a promotional tool, so in many ways, Erickson has seen the shift of how people decide where to eat coincide with his journey as a restaurateur. He has noticed the ways guests have becoming more discerning through travel and education. “Authenticity in experience is key,” he shares. The

brand constantly strives to improve the eating experience from its guests, and Erickson is a big fan of receiving unsolicited feedback, from the notes they receive at the restaurants or on social media. “They keep us inspired, and they push us to continually improve our service,” he says.

In such a dynamic industry, plans are changing constantly, so Erickson says he cannot really spill the beans on what is coming next for the Nagi Group. “We want to surprise and delight everyone,” he says, “the goal is to create more loyal guests in more locations.”

THE WAY FORWARD

The impact in the restaurant industry of COVID-19 cannot be understated. After establishments were shut down to comply with the government’s efforts in addressing the pandemic, Erickson acknowledges it was tough, but the only way forward was to continue communicating to think of ways to address the situation. “We tried to keep up with updates, trends and the behaviors of people. So as days go by, we realized that there are still opportunities we can explore for us to cater to our customers and stay afloat. Everything was really a collaborative effort,” he says.

As the industry adapts to new norms, there has been a major shift towards pick-ups, carryout delivery and drive-thru. The Nagi Group has responded by making efforts to ensure their food is available in most delivery and online platforms, to ensure that brand visibility is there. An example is Ramen Nagi.“We never thought of actually having ramen as take out. But we were still able to pull it off by having them freshly made daily and frozen to maintain quality and freshness,” says Erickson. “It was overwhelming to receive positive feedback from our customers because they weren’t just delighted with satisfying their ramen cravings but they loved the experience of bringing out the little chef in them by cooking and preparing their own ramen.”

When their dine-in operations open again, the Nagi Group will adhere to additional safety mandates by the government, including stricter sanitation guidelines to by followed by their team and customers, such as a no mask, no entry policy and consistent temperature checks. They will integrate social distancing policies, which will mean fewer people to be accommodated at a time, and touch-less payment options. There will also be singes and social media postings to keep people informed.

There are fears that the dining industry will never be the same again, but the Nagi Group hopes to alleviate those thoughts by ensuring a safe experience along with a good dining one too. “Since we are expecting to have lesser traffic in our restaurants, we should also continuously strengthen our non-dining arm which involves takeout, delivery, and pickups,” says Erickson.

While this will provide new challenges, Erickson is hopeful for the future. “I believe that given the current crisis, we should always be prepared in offering more options and more channels where we can offer our products to our customers.”

FREEDOM ON A HIGHWAY

According to Erickson, the three biggest qualities to have in order to be successful in this line of work are passion, faith, and wisdom. “Passion gives you the drive and excitement with work, while faith is important because you need to believe in your team for them to believe in your shared goals,” he says, “and wisdom, because having the knowledge of the inside out and the ability to pass on that knowledge to others is very significant.”

He believes that budding restaurateurs should not be afraid to fail. “Failure will make you a better and stronger person,” he says, “continue pushing for your goals and have a vision.”

As a boss, Erickson promotes a good work-life balance, a proponent of the idea that it promotes a healthy work environment for him and his employees. After a hard day at work, he prefers to spend quality time with his family, doing things as simple as watching a movie and enjoying dinner together.

In his free time, Erickson is a big fan of collecting cars and motorbikes. Riding on the weekends helps him keep his mind off from the stress of work. “It gives you an experience that you just don’t find anywhere else, a great adventure where you get to feel immersed in nature and scenery around you,” he says. Traveling and exploring new locales is a source of inspiration, especially with his family. “I often travel with my wife to have quality time together, to explore and be inspired,” he says “since my kids are in school, we try to travel during their breaks, eat and explore new things together as a family. As a family, fitness is also something we like doing together like hiking and jogging.”

A meaningful life for Erickson is when he knows he is not just successful in his field of work, but is inspirational to others as well. “I consider myself that just a boss but also a mentor to many,” he says.

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