THIRTYISH Ryan Razon realized his background in human resources (HR) was a vital element in building the restaurant brand that was inspired by his mother’s passion in the kitchen.
A graduate of industrial psychology from the University of Santo Tomas, Razon said his realization came after working for two-and-a-half years in a major beer company and a computer-education institution.
When his stints in the corporate world did not meet his expectations, Razon decided to help his mother Teresita run the business in Guagua, Pampanga.
Upon joining the business, the young Razon introduced disruptive methods to make the business more competitive and sustainable. At that time, the Razon family was already contemplating to enter the lucrative Manila market.
The older generation was shocked by my methods, he told the BusinessMirror.
The president of Nozar Inc., the operator of Teresita’s, brought the restaurants into cyberspace by opening a web site, Facebook and Instagram accounts. He implemented a more shocking practice by allowing the staff to eat the meals, like palabok and halo-halo, they serve. “The first week was a disaster, because I saw an employee consume a pitcher of halo-halo and a group of workers finished a basket of palabok,” he said laughing.
Inspired by the Chinese maxim of one step backward, two steps forward, Razon believed this practice would click in the long run. After one week, he brought dried fish for the staff and asked them if they like to try eating it. “They said yes, because they got fed up eating our products,” he recalled.
Razon applied this practice because he wanted to satisfy their curiosity and get a feedback on the quality of the products they are selling. Since the staff is on the front line, Razon said they are in the best position to tell customers that their products are good. “They will not also be tempted to steal and bring home the items.”
Moreover, he was encouraged to implement this policy, because he discovered an illegal activity by some crew members. “When I went to the toilet for a break, I noticed the toilet bowl was clogged with a lot of chicken bones thrown by the crew.”
As part of his preparation in running the restaurant business, Razon finished his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree at the Ateneo de Manila University.
“One of the good things in Ateneo’s MBA program is you can apply the knowledge you learned in class the following day,” he told the BusinessMirror. “Moreover, I have an advantage, because I am already managing a business. I also learned the value of quantitative analysis taught me that everything not measurable is a loss in business.”
There he discovered he was also able to apply “all the things I learned in human resources.”
“I know the sentiments of being an employee.”
Razon approached the Franchising Corp. of the Philippines (Francorp) to evaluate the Teresita’s business model and determine if it is ready to mix up with the big boys.
After getting the green light from Francorp, Razon rushed to Pampanga to standardize the processes and operations of Teresita’s. He also asked the family to drop the name Razon to make the Teresita’s distinct from the other businesses carrying the same name. “We also wanted to give our mother the credit, because of her recipes.”
The halo-halo was the only product that originated from the restaurant, while the other recipes were created by the different members of Razon clan.
In 2011 Teresita’s opened its first branch on Tomas Morato, Quezon City, initially offering halo-halo and palabok to clients. Razon later introduced dishes from his mother’s recipes, like kare-kare and caldereta. In 2012 Teresita’s opened its second branch in Waltermart Muñoz, which got stronger response because of the bigger foot traffic.
In 2013 Teresita’s opened a branch in Vito Cruz area near the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas office. In 2014 the family decided to go into franchising and opened its first halo-halo store. Last year Teresita’s went into a higher expansion gear by opening seven branches.
For the meantime, Razon said he wants to remain cautious in their expansion and stabilize the business first and build the brand.