Barbeque vendors enjoy positive sales during Misa de Gallo

Selling hot beverages and snacks is a hit business during the Christmas season especially when the nine-day novena dawn masses or the "Misa de Gallo" start.

It is a common scene to see vendors setting up makeshift kiosks in front of the Catholic church to sell hot brews like coffee, hot chocolate, puto and bibingka, suman and other native delicacies.

These days, barbeque vendors have started joining the tradition and are now visible among the "dawn entrepreneurs" we see outside the church after the mass.

Alilie Reyes, who have been in the business for a year, said that her sales have increased when she joined other vendors in the church unlike when she sells only during the day.

With a meager P500 pesos capital, she earns a total sales of almost P800 pesos in just one day compared to her P500 pesos sales from a capital of P300 during ordinary days.

During the dawn masses, she sells barbeque near the Birhen sa Regla Church in Lapu-Lapu City while on regular days, her trade area is just near her residence in barangay Pusok.

For her, waking up as early as 2:00 in the morning is worth it income-wise. "Wala na ko maghuna-huna sa kakapoy. Ang importante ang kita para makasuporta sa among inadlaw nga panginahanglan." (I no longer mind the fatigue. The important is the sales I earn which could help support our daily needs.)

With this positive result, Nang Alilie planned to continue in this business next year and if she can have enough capital, she wants to add other products like munchies, candies, beverages, and others that customers usually look for.

Meanwhile, the large number of mass-goers contributed to the sales percentage of these vendors since sales depend greatly to the purchasing power of the customers and to their likes.

These targeted customers like to eat hot foods during this time to help them keep awake until the end of the mass as stated by most of them during the interview.

Barbeque is also saleable during this early waking-time since most Filipinos are used to eat heavy foods.

Most of the churches here in our country celebrate Misa De Gallo every 4:00 A.M. for nine days starting December 16 to December 24.