Type of business that is lacking in the area

I talked to the ex manager outside old McD yesterday...he's not with the company any more so he didn't have any answers as to why there's no burgers at either branch

 

Aaahhhhh...... the inevitable "out of stock".

 

Duma has tons of foreigners. Plenty would be willing to buy good cheeses and deli meats / sausages I'm sure as well. A couple places have some selections and Why Not has various things as well. Trendi's was a great idea in my opinion except to few knew about it along with its location being halfway between Sibulan and Dumaguete on the highway which is a bit out of the way for many who may like to come grab a beer, a sandwich, and chat. One of the key sticking points in my opinion though is having a place friendly towards foreigners who want to come and drink and chat as mostly foreigners would be the target for the items your selling.

Trendi's was slowly picking up before until the main server who actually entertained quit, the owner stopped improving the menu, and the owner stopped being around to chat with most the time as a foreigner doesn't want to come and get a beer if no one to chat with and often the owner was the start of it or the one server who quit. Location severely hurt the place though. Someplace similiar but expanded a bit but closer to downtown or close to the boulevard would work great.

 

The problem with Deli's and the kind of things WE like is the price $$ it stops a lot of people...Hamburgers of the best kind and a good i mean GOOD Chili Dog here will work..Good mark up and managment (even if its a small business) is essential..BUT location is #1 priority..And keep the idea of the young people to be your main customers ......They like to cruise just like we did Hip Hop it up...Put a big ice chest (inside let them pick there soda out of it even if you lose a few it's a novel and new idea if it does not work then u can always trash it ... but it would be unique...little things that can make things work for you and don't forget the Music..I mean rocking

 

Way back when...( I am not older than dirt, but I was invited to it's fifth birthday party!) in the town I grew up in, there was an Italian family that owned a deli...there were quite a few deli's in town, but theirs was THE deli! As busy as it was all the time with Moms and Dads doing their weekly shopping, when we kids came in for a 6 inch Italian roll and enough spiced salami to stuff it, all for only 25 cents, they treated us kids as if we weren't there, they would go bankrupt. Pretty much everyday after school, the crowd would head there on their way home. The Moms and Dads patiently waited their turn as us kids got our snack for the walk home from school. That is my idea of a Mom and Pop family deli. If that is something that Joy and I would like to do, I would hope to have that same attitude and atmosphere in the place, perhaps even with enough space for a few tables in the corner for those that might want to eat that Italian roll sandwich with a cold beer on a lazy afternoon....( Fair warning...it won't be only 25 cents):dnr:

 

I ate at the new McD Monday .. I ordered a cheeseburger "sorry sir, not available" .. so thinking they were out of cheese I asked if hamburgers were available and they said yes ..as I was eating my burger I told the GF that it didn't taste like a McD burger, the patty was different .. I opened it up and it looked like the same crappy sauce that Jollibee uses. I swear it was a rewrapped Jollibee burger

 

I would just offer X funds for the start-up and let her find her own way. The path to business success is a personal journey. You can find help and mentors along the way, but nobody can steer for you. Plowing your own path is critical for knowing that you have the base ingredients for business success (it's not for everyone) and building from there. At least then you know if you fail, you can just pick yourself up and start again.

It's possible that your input could even stunt her potential. When you are on the right path, you know where to seek the mentorship you need. Even though there may be some missing pieces that you have yet to reveal, you know in your gut what advice to take and what advice to throw away. It's unlikely your significant other will have much to add (that is, the significant other of the person actually running the business.) Having an outsized partner, who would rather be playing golf, making a lot of big decisions for the business isn't a recipe for success. That's why wealthy investors pick what appears to be winners, invest their money and get out of the way.

Starting a business usually requires going heavy on one or more of time, money and risk. In your situation, I don't see how any of these would be palatable to you. You don't need to expose yourself to any of these for the ambitions of someone else. You don't do it for your kids beyond sending them to college and you don't need to do it for your significant other. I'm all for being selfish but supportive.

So, just get out of the way and put it on her to figure this all out. If she has the ambition, then she shouldn't have these restrictions. If they are your restrictions, then all the more reason to get out of the picture. Employees stealing? Fine. Corrupt government? Great. Lazy workers. Got it. Business is one problem after as well as making one mistake after another. The line is endless. You remove one issue, then next is already waiting for you.

Of course, I may be over-complicating this. A food stand is relatively simple. Maybe she'll see how much work it is, get discouraged early because it's not blowing up and then quit. Phase over. My main point in this post is that you don't need to bother with it yourself. Just give her some minimal tools and send her on her way to conquer the world.

 

I've some ideas from you guys...We'll just have to see for ourselves and do a bit of research when we get there. I like the idea of a deli, mostly because I have living in China for 5 years and there is no such thing here. I miss a good mesquite smoked turkey, peppered corn-fed roast beef, etc, etc.

The main decision will come from Joy. It will be her burden when I'm gone, so whatever she wants to tackle, we'll probably do it as long as I think it is actually doable. I won't let her get in over her head and fail. Unless you're growing money trees and you got the seeds for free, then there is a cost to failure, perhaps one we can't afford. But, thanks for the ideas and suggestions everyone.

 

It doesn't help that McD corporate and slowly all franchises are now switching to Del Monte Ketchup instead of Heinz which was a very different taste. Heinz new CEO is Burger Kings old CEO and made it hell on McD to renew their contract on Heinz so McD made the switch. I really am not fond of Del Monte Ketchup, its fine in a pinch but always been a Heinz kid inside.

 

I do suggest though you push her for something that more of the college kids and foreigners as your customers. Something not easy for your average Filipino to copy as soon as your seen as successful someone will pop in next door trying to do it 1 piso cheaper. Things that can't be easily done is foreign foods that especially need getting products from Cebu or Manila (like a Deli) and things where customer service really matters (matters to the foreigners). As we all know Filipino business's cannot copy the Customer Service potential hehe.