Walang Experience sa Food Business? How Mang Inasal Perfected Its Model Before Franchising

Mang Inasal started from a single store in Iloilo, opened on December 12, 2003, by a founder with no food-business experience. Its founder, Edgar “Injap” Sia, spent his first two years building the model. Then GMB Franchise Developers, led by Butz Bartolome, came in to perfect it further, and in 2005 Mang Inasal began franchising.

How Injap met Butz: a magazine article and a seminar in Iloilo

Injap Sia got in touch with Butz Bartolome after reading Butz’s article in Entrepreneur Magazine. They met in Iloilo, where Butz was about to give a seminar on franchising at Robinsons Mall. Injap’s first Mang Inasal store was right there, in the parking lot across the mall.

Injap was shy, but he waited for Butz to finish the seminar. Then, at around 8 PM, he took Butz to his store. What Butz saw there was a big crowd eating inasal with their bare hands, to their hearts’ delight. The place was about 200 square meters, packed with about 300 seats, and it had no aircon.

The whole place was busy. Injap’s wife and mother-in-law were behind the counter, managing the flow of orders, and you could see the staff grilling chicken pecho and paa. It was semi self-service: customers lined up to order and pay, got a number, and their food was served to them. Since everyone ate with their hands, you could see how amazed customers were by the automated faucets when they washed up. It was a busy night, even as the street and the mall were about to close.

That’s when Butz knew there was something real here. The customers had already proven the product. What it needed next was a system that could be copied.

He didn’t wait until he was “big enough” to ask for help. He read, he reached out, and he showed up, while he still had just a store across the parking lot.

The starting point: one store and zero experience

In a conversation recorded at a meeting Butz arranged with friends from the franchise community, Injap Sia, who founded Mang Inasal and is now the chairman of DoubleDragon Properties, looked back on how it all began:

“I started Mang Inasal from the first store in Iloilo.”

He did not pretend it was easy:

“The first two to three years is quite very challenging. It’s my first food business, so that alone is a very big challenge already. Walang experience in that field.”

Many Filipino business owners will recognize that feeling. A good product, a lot of energy, and a lot of things you are learning for the first time, all at once.

Why he didn’t franchise right away

Here is the part most people skip. Mang Inasal did not start selling franchises in its first months. In Injap’s words:

“We first perfected the model for a couple of years, and then in 2005, after two years, with the help of Sir Butz, we…”

Those two years were the starting point. The model had to work in the stores the company ran itself. Then GMB Franchise Developers came in to make it even better, so it was ready to be copied by franchisees.

How the system was built

GMB Franchise Developers came in during the early stages, when Mang Inasal had two stores, to take a model that already worked and perfect it for franchising. That work covered the parts of a business that a franchisee can’t see from the counter but depends on every day:

• Operations. Assisting in how the stores ran day to day, so the same results could happen in any branch.
• Menu and profitability. Reviewing the menu and its profitability, so each item made sense for the store and not just for the customer.
• Commissary. Assisting in the commissary, the central kitchen that keeps the product consistent from branch to branch.
• Training of people. Building the training so new crews and new franchisees could learn the system, not just copy it.
• Franchising documents. Preparing the franchising documents that turn a good store into a business others can legally buy into.

The menu review is on the public record. As Rappler reported, when they were preparing to grow the business through franchising, Butz looked at the financial figures and found too much inventory. “Out of 30 products, only 5 are making money,” he told Rappler. “We made a drastic move. We cut 30 items in the menu to 5. So when the point of expansion came, it was easy.”

Then came the growth. As Injap put it:

“Thanks to franchising… we used that avenue to expand Mang Inasal very early on.”

Franchising gave a young brand the avenue to expand early, but only because the model behind it was ready to be copied. That is the work behind GMB Franchise Developers’ franchise development services.

6 lessons for Filipino business owners who want to franchise

1. Experience is not a requirement. A system is. Injap had no food-business experience. What made Mang Inasal franchisable was a model that worked and could be taught.
2. Perfect the model before you sell it. Mang Inasal spent its first two years building the model, then brought in expert help to perfect it before franchising. Make sure your own stores make money consistently first. See Step 1 of our guide to franchising your business in the Philippines.
3. Check every menu item’s profitability. A menu that sells well but earns little will hurt every franchisee you add. Review it before you franchise, not after.
4. Plan for consistency at scale. A commissary and real training are how the tenth branch tastes like the first one.
5. Learn early, and ask for help early. Injap read about franchising and reached out to an expert while Mang Inasal was still a young brand, before he sold a single franchise.
6. Get the documents right. Franchise agreements and manuals protect both you and your franchisees. Here’s what it costs to franchise your business, and how to choose a franchise consultant.

Ready to write your own franchise story?

GMB Franchise Developers has been helping homegrown brands franchise since 1993. It was founded by Butz Bartolome, “The Franguru”, who has been in franchising since 1991: 35 years in business, from our office in Mandaluyong.

Message us on Messenger or WhatsApp, or contact us to talk about franchising your business.

Frequently asked questions

How did Mang Inasal start?

Mang Inasal started from a single store in Iloilo, opened on December 12, 2003, by Edgar “Injap” Sia. It was his first food business. The store was in the parking lot across Robinsons Mall in Iloilo.

How did Injap Sia meet Butz Bartolome?

Injap Sia got in touch with Butz Bartolome after reading Butz’s article in Entrepreneur Magazine. They met in Iloilo, where Butz was about to give a seminar on franchising at Robinsons Mall, across from Injap’s first Mang Inasal store.

When did Mang Inasal start franchising?

In 2005. After its first two years, GMB Franchise Developers helped perfect the model for franchising. Injap Sia said it was “with the help of Sir Butz”, Butz Bartolome of GMB Franchise Developers.

What did GMB Franchise Developers do for Mang Inasal?

GMB Franchise Developers assisted Mang Inasal from the early stages of its first two stores: operations, menu and profitability review, the commissary, training of people, and the franchising documents. As Rappler reported, the menu review found that only 5 of 30 products were making money, so the menu was cut from 30 items to 5 before expansion.

Do I need food-business experience to franchise my restaurant?

No. Mang Inasal’s founder had none. What you need is a proven, profitable model and a system that can be documented and taught. GMB Franchise Developers can assess whether your business is ready.