⌛ burritos & burgers

Please do tell us where to get masa here, for starters.

We have it shipped over from the states. We have found it at Ayala a time or two, VERY expensive.

Larry

 

Dude, Ron Burgundy was a REAL anchorman. Growing up in SD in the '70s we had a anchorman named Harold Greene. Compare pictures of him to Burgundy and you will see THE BURGUNDY IS REAL!

I look at the Phils as a nice place to retire but I wouldnt want to work here. I look at this place like Las Vegas, only invest what you can afford to LOSE! If, like Las Vegas, if you walk away a winner then you are lucky. But most people LOSE.

If I can use my Business degree for a moment...
A clear and detailed Business Plan is a must. Details details details.
- Benchmarking with other owners.
- Find a mentor.
- Work with local business and political leaders (learn the rules above and below the table.)
- Find Costs and record(from food down to the nail to hang a picture)
- Lease v. Purchase (Location, Location... What? LOCATION)
- Estimate Profit margins
- Supply Chain
- ROI and a timeline to ensure you are on track.
- I like that you are asking potential customers opinions. But this is a very narrow representation of the customer base. Expand your demographics. Understand who will afford and desire your food. What is your target? Is is broad enough to sustain your business and turn a profit.

A business plan is a road map a CLEAR AND DETAILED business plan is GPS.
After all this horrible WORK (yes WORK is a 4 letter word) then you can decide if you want to roll the dice.

I was listening to a moron crying about losing $300k on his business venture. Although he told me he had a business degree, when I asked to see his business plan he told me he didnt have one. What???
And he lost $300k?? Let me get that surprised look off my face.
WORST/STUPIDEST BUSINESSMAN I EVER MET. EVER!

A fool and his money is soon parted. Dont be a fool.

 

Excuse my previous post. Who am I to give business advice? lol Good luck.

 

do you have good hamburger meat in duma. from manila or not? price? do you have BEEF hot dogs? thanks bapak

 

The hamburger meat purchased in the local supermarkets is not meant to be taken internally. It sucks. They seem to grind bone into their special recipe and breaking a tooth is a realistic possibility. Thank you Mr Lee.

 

A 50/50 mix of ground beef and ground pork is the way to go. Imported beef hotdogs are available.

 

Been there, done that, got the tshirt, Threw the t-shirt away after the helper ruined it with Xonrox. We winged it for almost a year and as Larry said the happiest day was they day we walked away. I was not well prepared with a wheelbarrow of greenbacks though.

If you decide to do something like this, utilities are also a major concern. Try to stay away from a closed in location with air conditioning. Go with an open air restaurant like the Filipinos do. High rent plus high utilities costs will eat all of your profit.

As many others have said, consistency and quality ingredients is paramount and even now that is difficult. It seems there has been an embargo on Land O Lakes cheese, which was a primary ingredient for us when we were crazy and now that we don't have a resto. If you want to serve Mexican fare, you will need good cheddar and jack cheese... good luck with that quest.

One time when I was down at the Embassy on Perdices Street, I heard of a guy that makes his own masa corn for tortillas. We make our own flour tortillas for our own consumption at home as well as pizza dough and a few other items. Believe it or not, fresh lumpia wrappers make great enchiladas wrappers. AS KDF said, a mix of beef and pork is good in general. That is what I use at home for every ground meat meal.

Also consider a base sauce that can be modified for other dishes and build the menu around that.. spaghetti sauce with the right adjunct of spices makes a good pizza sauce. You can also take spaghetti sauce and make enchilada sauce or chili, or even spaghetti!

I don't know how the guys on the boulevard are making any money. Marcus and Mike (who used to have a resto-dive shop before he opened his place in Dauin) with tell you they are losing money in the restaurant and other activities subsidize it. They are not just crying poor, they are telling the truth. Others will tell you they are making a killing, which just is not true.

Good luck!

 

Exactly, because their next move is to offer to sell you their money maker. Get out that checkbook and kiss your cash goodbye! :D

 

I would no sooner buy the ground beef in the markets here than I would in a supermarket in the States. In Lee Plaza I have them grind up Filipino beef steak or beef cubes. It's not expensive and if anything is to lean. They are happy to do it for you.

 

adios restaurant mexicano!

thank you to everybody. i get the picture. you have a big ingredient problem. can't get corn tortillas or cheese and who knows what else. that says it all!!.rent is high along with utilities. labor sounds like it could be a problem and can't due the brownout thing. this is probably the reason you DON'T HAVE many good expat restaurants.
one thing good came out of all of this. again chiang mai has it all at about the same or lower cost of living. no power concerns, low rents and everything available the same as the states. i speak pretty good thai so english alone is not a major concern for me. again, thanks