FRANCIS R. VILLALUZ,
Director for Marketing, Gerry’s Grill

Education:
B.S. Behavioral Science
De La Salle University

How’s the restaurant industry doing these days? What’s its greatest challenge?

It’s still doing well, we're still getting crowds. There’s still a need for it.The restaurant industry does have a seasonality like other businesses. Gerry’s Grill has 17 branches. Growth depends on the area you are in. According to our survey, restaurants are location-driven. People who eat in a certain branch live or work a few kilometers away.

In the course of your business, [sales] will slightly go down, and that means you have to reinvent and repackage. Last year, this place [the Morato branch] was not air-conditioned, and we had it air-conned.

My main challenge is to be the top of mind of customers when it comes to Philippine cuisine. If a balikbayan comes along and asks, “What’s a good Filipino restaurant?”, you bring them to Gerry’s Grill.

How do you respond to the challenge?

The look is important. You have to go with the times. Whatever is `in' may have to be part of the reinvention process. You look at the food, service, music. When we first opened, we played 80s music. After a while, we said we have to move on.

Our menu now is very different from our first one. Before, it was more of the beer-pulutan type. It just catered to the boys and the barkada. Now, we have a more balanced menu. It’s also been more family-friendly. We have kids celebrating their birthdays here.

We are opening in two branches in the US, San Francisco and LA, among the largest Pinoy communities. There’s sense of achievement [because we] made it in the US.

Food quality and service have to be consistent. When a customer comes to us, he has expectations and we have to meet them. The customer has to feel value for money, that he had a good meal at the amount he paid. Sometimes, he notices how slowly the food is served, or maybe it wasn't cooked well.

We have to compete with the mindsets of the customers who may prefer to go to other restaurants.

Is there such a thing as brand loyalty?

Yes, there is variety, but generally a customer will go to certain restaurants for Chinese food, this restaurant for Japanese, and that restaurant for Filipino. I’m not after their preferences for the other kind of cuisine – but as far as Filipino cuisine is concerned, I’d want to be their top of mind.

Please tell us about your career path.

After graduation, I worked in a hamburger franchise for two to three month. I couldn’t hack it because I had flat feet and would have to stand ten hours a day in the store. I was in shock at that time; my quality of life went down. My friends would go out during the weekends, while I would be working.

I went to banking where it was more relaxed and the pay was right. I’d do tellering and accounts. Then, I tried my luck at marketing in the liquor industry, starting out as Assistant Brand Manager. I did this for a couple of years then got retrenched; this was in 1997 during the Asian economic crisis. There were mergers in the liquor industries.

For three months, I was jobless, though I did get some kind of compensation out of the retrenchment. I’d go around and submit my resumes to offices. I was applying left and right. Then this consumer product conglomerate called and offered me an Assistant Product Manager position.

As APM, my challenge was to introduce a juice line to the slightly order market. Kids used to drink the tetrapack juices; but after they go to high school, they’d go to softdrinks. The challenge was to develop juice for high school teenagers to prolong the continuity in the product line. I started it but before I could launch it, I moved to ice cream.

Since my experience was developing flavors, they gave me a special flavor that would be available for two to three months only.

It was a very fast-paced development process. I’d launch two flavors at a time and develop six flavors for a year. I used to work in research and development a lot. You’d test the product, promote it, kill it, and then create a new one. The work would never stop

You’d have to go the extra mile. You ask yourself and do a lot of test to see if the pricing is right, if the packaging is acceptable to the customer. Take time to study each aspect before you launch it, to come up with the most solid product possible. Of course, there will be improvements later on.

The training helped me in coping with changes. There are simple processes that you can apply wherever you are. Now if I develop a new menu, I apply the same process.

I spent three years in this consumer giant. Then Gerry’s Grill called.

How was it like coming to Gerry’s Grill?

When I was new, we were opening the Subic branch, and the owner and his wife were in the US. They entrusted me with the opening. I did ask around and for a lot of help. I was feeling my way around but the opening was successful. It was difficult, but you have to rise to the occasion.

What are your plans for Gerry’s Grill

We are still young, even though we have 17 branches. There’s so much more to do. I keep thinking on where we can grow over time. We are going to have branches in Ali Mall, Mall of Asia, Bacolod, and Bohol early this year. I’d want to be part of that growth. You have to be aggressive in securing locations.

How do you make sure you’re on top of your game?

You have to keep constant watch over your competitors. I do eat around other restaurants and experience how they’re doing things and check the quality of their food and service. I size up the dining experience and ask, “What does this guy have that I don’t?”

Size up the competition. Try to know what they’re doing and do it first.

Advertise your company and reach out to media partners. Try different ways and means of promotion.

What advice would you give young professionals who want to be managers and directors?

Be ready to give out answers during meetings. Show that you have what it takes.

Be consistent with your work, especially when you are young.

Come up with solid propositions that show your bosses how you think and that you are able to handle big responsibilities.

Prove yourself in bigger tasks and you get bigger tasks.

When you make mistakes, admit them honestly and make sure you don’t’ repeat them. Just learn from them.