Best Posts in Thread: Service in the Philippines (Split thread)

I do think that some of us, even me at times, seem the have an entitlement attitude. With a very prideful culture that can cause issues.

 

Few restaurants beyond resorts if any can survive off of only foreigners. Foreigners may bring in a lot of business at times but it generally doesn't last unless your one of those very few places. Foreigners tend to come to whats *new* and they may stick around a week or a couple of months but they generally move on to that new place unless you happen to be the nearest decent place to them or amazing food. Hence you need to also cater to local customers as well which is why a lot of places fail. They think if they just have good food people will come enough but locals are different and cheaper with their money. I know one restaurant right now closed down because of ignoring the local market thinking foreigners would do the trick and I know of a few others closed down in the last year same sort of scenario.

Foreigners who live in the Philippines also can get fairly price sensitive as well. If a place nearby sells beer 2p cheaper then you but you have food some of them will go get the food at your place and bring it to where the beer is cheaper. For many foreigners who have been here for years that few peso's extra hit makes a difference if it means 2 less beers a week in stretching their money. But of course it all comes down to is the foreigner one on a tighter budget or one who is very well off where 2p extra is whatever to them.

 

I'm wondering if you even live in the Philippines now as what you say is nonsense for anyone with real experience here.

Consumers here are NOT willing to negotiate on price or pay more for better quality or service. If the place next door has it 1 peso cheaper they will go there even if your product is much higher quality. I've seen this true from the bottom on up. I've seen BBQ stands where the one with much better bbq only starts selling after the stand next that is 1p cheaper per stick but really *ehh* in quality is sold out because that 1p difference means a lot to them, quality be damned. I've seen people walk to a futher sari-sari store because it sells something 50 centavo's cheaper than the closer store. I've seen people hound to disgusting Angel Burgers who even say themselves it takes like sh*t because they can get 2 sh*t burgers for the price of a decent bit bigger single burger next door. Price is everything and quality means utter crap here. Most Filipino's are more than happy to eat crap food if its cheaper, just dump some vinegar in it to kill bacteria and plenty of sugar to drown out some of the bad taste.

At my small restaurant my taco for example if fairly small but 50p. Its profit margin is extremely tiny virtually non existent btw. However if I raised its price to 60p so I could make a profit off of every taco I sell but over half my taco market is locals and quite honestly they would stop buying it. I raised my burger 5p as it was in the same boat and lost 2 of my local burger customers who thought 55p for a burger deluxe with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese was just to much for them. My prices are still dirt cheap because my overhead is small as its at my house.

You talk on paying workers more so they care? It may be that was occasionally where your from but NOT in the Philippines. At most they are less likely to steal is all. I've seen business's the employer offers a very nice well above average pay plus all benefits and 2 days off a week which for a local would be a cush posh job. Those workers didn't care one bit of the business surviving or making sure customers felt entertained and happy unless that specific customer was known for big tips and even then not all of them cared because they had to split the tips unless they could get away with pocketing it. In the end a good worker is going to care regardless because its a job and they agreed to it but good workers are a rarity to find here no matter the pay.

 

Next time I'm there I need to go on several beer and food runs with you guys.

 

Many (not all) you see standing on the street corner prefer their self employment over getting a 'real job'. They set their own hours, pay no taxes, and often bring home much more money than they would flipping burgers. Even when their sign says "will work for food" they only want money, the sign is to make you feel guilty. More than once I have approached people with signs like that, offers to join me to eat as I was heading to a eat anyway, or to do some yard work, were always turned down by the statement "no just give me money". Some people honestly need help but there are many many scam artists out there also.