Grill and Restaurant

[Palawan Aussie]

Here's a business idea, just for those of us that might like to do more than retire ..

Here's a Grill / Restaurant for rent at $500 / month, ready to operate. Rename it (eg, The Pork Barrel, haha) and staff it with a cook and wait staff for around $250 or so a month. It's 5 thousand sq/mtr, plenty of parking and with all equipment.  With a few smarts, one could have a very affordable, fun and certainly respectable business in the main growth area of Palawan.

http://sulit.com.ph/19264231

To live, you could buy this concrete house about 15 mins away, for less than $20 grand ..

http://sulit.com.ph/19793801

Or rent this house nearby for around $170 per month .. http://sulit.com.ph/19485811

Just some ideas .. whatever.

Cheers,
Stephen
Nb, $0 association
with the advertisers.

[Rudylazo]

Stephen,
I know you are in Puerto Pricesa but are these properties in Puerto?

I am in Puerto and do  different things.
Rudy

[Palawan Aussie]

Stephen, I know you are in Puerto Pricesa but are these properties in Puerto? I am in Puerto and do  different things. Rudy

Yes Rudy all of the properties, that's the Grill/Resto and both of the houses pictured, are in Puerto, though not in the city centre. I don't know if they are still available, one imagines the business in particular will be snapped by someone up quite quickly? From the Sulit ad noted, it's along the Northern Highway, just past Robinson's Mall. The Puerto area is huge, with lots of Barangays.

Cheers,
Stephen

     
   

[BingColin]

Stephan, you have asked for my comments, so here they are.

Firstly, your business suggestion and accommodation do not over impress me, The restaurant/grill is only a few minutes drive from where I live and in my opinion in the wrong location to be profitable. It is off the main road and between a very popular restaurant and a resort with two swimming pools, restaurant two bars and many karaoke areas for rent to parties all very cheap. I don’t know the house for sale but the rented place can only be approached on a motorcycle in wet weather???

The think the underground river is grossly overrated but the total day out is OK. Bing spent her early life in the Iwahig prison farm and it is an interesting place to visit. Bakers Hill is very good and got a lot better over the last few years. Next to it is Mitra Ranch, a good viewpoint around the local area. The crocodile farm is OK but gets very crowded and you are taken around now in large guided groups. I have not been to the Butterfly farm for many years but it was very small with very few exhibits, maybe there is a best time of year for a visit. Honda Bay makes a good day out, Snake Island being the most popular place to visit. It does get crowded at weekends and during school holidays. The best place to visit is El Nido in the north of Palawan but it is a 5-6 hour drive.

There is another Mall called Unitop opposite the old market. This market has now largely been superseded by New Market opposite 168 up the Northern highway. New Market is also the hub for all the vehicles traveling to distant parts of Palawan.
 
I agree that Palawan, and Puerto City in particular is generally not crowded and relaxed. Palawan is rated as a holiday destination, but you don’t see too many foreigners. The majority of visitors seem to be Filipinos and they blend in apart from all the picture taking

[Palawan Aussie]

The restaurant/grill is only a few minutes drive from where I live and in my opinion in the wrong location to be profitable. It is off the main road and between a very popular restaurant and a resort with two swimming pools, restaurant two bars and many karaoke areas for rent to parties all very cheap.

Thanks for all your comments Colin. Regarding the above comments, from my experience one must disagree. In another lifetime, over several years I fitted-out, opened and managed what thankfully turned out a most successful restaurant. Thus I do have an idea of what's involved in this business

Colin, restaurants close by are NOT usually detrimental to your business ... in fact, they help. 

Together, several restaurants close-by create a dining precinct. An area where people go to eat. No one likes to eat similar food at the same place-out every time. We all like the excitement of variety in what we eat. But, we do like the convenience of a known and familiar location. That's why Malls always put their food vendors in the same area, usually in a food court. Each vendor then attracts a much greater crowd of customers than if they were on their own. There's a strength in numbers.

And, this rent is most reasonable. At $500 a month that's less than around ten normal patrons a week.

Given a good concept/specialization, a clever name and well-managed attentive staff, experience tells me it'd be almost impossible not to at least initially cover such cost. Sure if one depended on, and absolutely needed to be, making a good profit from day one, it would be an ask. But many of us here might not miss a $500 rental a month all that much, I'd dare say. With typical restaurant food costs being around 10% of turnover, and some family-as-staff involvement, experience tells me this business idea is indeed quite sound for your normally solvent business go-getter. Fun too.

Every business involves some risk, and that's what makes it exciting. The pay-off is in eventually succeeding.

Cheers,
Stephen
   

[BingColin]

Stephen, I would guess by your comments that you have not seen these places. You can’t walk past them trying to decide what to eat as you would in a food court. This Grill is off the main road where it can’t easily be seen and then you would have to turn at Ka Inato a popular and inexpensive Philippine restaurant. The other place is Angelas Farm which is a few minutes drive further down the road and has a lot more to offer than just a reasonable restaurant. Judging by the photograph and the location, it is not a place I would consider driving to to have a meal, and there is no other reason to visit that area. If it was near the beach or perhaps a shopping area then maybe I would agree with you. I also think your figures are very marginal particularly as you seem to be relying of cheap family labour.

If the place was at all profitable I wonder why the owner feels the need to rent it out. My guess is that the owner did not think it through thoroughly and also built it before Angelas farm added the second pool and upgraded everything.

[Palawan Aussie]

Haha .. well Colin, I'm not going to argue with you.

We've been to that particular Ka Inato a half dozen times, and ordered take-away from there another few times. To us, it's a fairly quiet, reserved, and even boring place and it was certainly less than half full each time we were there. With a long driveway it's well off the main road, the customer serving portions were small, the service indifferent and their prices were more than one might expect for the overall dining experience they offer. Their food was good, sure, but not great, and overall to us it's just another place to eat. We find at least another six restaurants offer more.

Good successful and vibrant businesses require a great concept, vision and an entrepurenal spirit.

Also an owner that makes success happen, no matter what. If one does not posses such spirit, do not try going it alone. One can work for someone else all our lives, so make them money instead

Cheers 
Stephen

[Rudylazo]

Stephen,
I want to take a look at that place. Colin is right if the place is off the highway.
You are right too it take a special animal to bring a dying business back to life.
I will look just to see what that thing is. Maybe just get it and rent it out as residential
if the square footage and  floor plan can be redone.
I want to see you guys one of these days. I live in Puerto just behind the 
Adventist hospital I am renting there. Text me at 917-576-9234.
I am not selling you anything.
Best regards,
Rudy Lazo

[Rudylazo]

Stephen,
you mentioned you are familiar starting a FM radio station.
A Chinese now living in Thailand told me you can start an FM
station for little money and play pre recorded music or messages
there and don't have to be there operate it. Can you guide me
to do this to broadcastself help farming and lively hood guide
to people with broadcast area. Can you guide me on equipment
cost and where to get them.
I was thinking of soft music and livelyhood broadcasting with no
operator involved to reduce the cost. Is it possible?
I have no idea how and what but interested on how it is done.

[RinaldiMan]

Hi Guys, just to share if ever your looking for a restaurant that within metro manila, I've discovered DADS World Buffet but some you might have already been to the place. But its actually one of the best Eat-All-You-Can Buffet Restaurants in Metro Manila. One of the things that I love this place is because they serve Chinese, Malaysian, Thai, Indonesian, Japanese, Filipino, Spanish, Italian, Greek, American, Mexican, and Brazilian cuisines.