Mexican food, Filipino taste

"We are fast. We are fresh. We are healthy," said La Salsa, Inc. general manager Leni Adriano, referring to the company’s quick service Mexican food outlet, Tacomio.

A lawyer and former real estate developer, Adriano professes a passion for cooking and baking that led her to develop Tacomio from scratch.

Why Mexican?

"I believe that whatever is a hit in the United States would be readily accepted in the Philippines. We seem to have similar ideas about what’s hip and healthy. I read that Mexican is the fourth biggest segment in the US fastfood industry, next to burgers, pizza and ice cream. I also realized we Filipinos have a natural affinity for Mexican food, maybe because our country was once a colony of Spain like Mexico was," Adriano said.

She bought all kinds of books and tested different recipes, asking relatives, neighbors and house help to taste them for feedback. She ended up "Filipinizing" most of them because all her tasters preferred something a little sweeter, even with dishes meant to be spicy. She tested six recipes of salsa and underwent the rigors of blind taste-testing to be able to choose the best mild and hot salsas that now go with all Tacomio servings.

Trial And Error

Adriano actually started her food business with a dine-in restaurant called La Salsa in 1996. But with no background in food costing, purchasing and restaurant management, she found it difficult to keep La Salsa going – although the food itself was a big hit with students along the E. Rodriguez Sr. strip in Quezon City.

She decided to get a consultant, GMB Franchise Developers, to help her with her organizational requirements. GMB saw that having a full-service restaurant like La Salsa significantly increased Adriano’s overhead. The kitchen alone chalked up a lot of the maintenance cost. The consultant recommended she explore how she can sell the same tasty, homegrown food using a cart instead.

Adriano subsequently closed her restaurant and, in 1999, opened her first Tacomio cart in SM Megamall. The cart occupies less than three square meters and serves 33 items, including several varieties and sizes of nachos, tacos, quesadillas, burritos, taco salads and taco pizzas.

Tacomio also accepts booking for parties, offering assorted Mexican fiesta packages, starting at P4,995.

Nachos and chips are very popular with teen-agers who consider the Tacomio menu hip and healthy. "Our burritos do not contain rice or filler. We use lettuce, not cabbage. We use vegetable oil."

Locating in malls is a conscious decision for Adriano. "Malls are open, rain or shine. Abroad, people would go to the park. Here, Filipinos go to the mall. Customers are also assured the food stays clean. There’s no dust or smoke from the road. Customers see the attendants preparing and cooking their order," she said.

There’s a Tacomio cart in SM City North Edsa and SM Manila. Adriano hopes to open another one in SM Centerpoint next month. At present, Tacomio has only one franchise outlet, located inside Art’s Venue along Taft Ave.

Franchising Cost

The franchise fee of P100,000 covers site evaluation and up to two months training for both the owner and the crew. Constructing the cart, equipping it and stocking it with an initial supply of food will require an additional investment of approximately P250,000.

Adriano believes Tacomio offers more than a business opportunity. "We provide initial and long-term support to make sure that, together with franchisee, our business takes off and grows to become a major player in the fastfood industry. It’s easy to put up an outlet but its more difficult to make it profitable. This is why we need to train people well," she said.

To support approved franchisees, La Salsa assists them in market study, cart design and layout, lease negotiation, continued training, accounting and bookkeeping and guidance in store operations. – C.P.Sison