Cebu’s top 10 street foods: Street food business: Low-cost startup venture for entrepreneurs

CEBU, Philippines - In this fast food generation, street food vending continues to thrive amid the booming restaurant industry in fact street food business has become a global phenomenon for individual entrepreneurs.

Street foods are ready-to-eat consumables sold in the streets often in a kiosk or in a portable mobile cart. Street foods are also classified as finger food or instant food.

In a 2007 study from the Food and Agriculture Organization, 2.5 billion consume street food everyday.

Economics professor Luzviminda Roda said street selling contributes to the country’s economy at the same time gives individual entrepreneurs with decent livelihood.

Roda said street food trading is a sole proprietorship type of business and deemed as the easiest and most affordable investment to engage in.

Roda added that although the contribution of street vending to the economy is not that big, at least it has helped a lot of people to earn a living.

“Economy-wise, it is also helping small producers earn as the demand for ingredients needed for street food increases,” she said.

Aside from giving livelihood, this business venture is also a quick fix for empty stomachs especially for people on the go.

Street vendors said that this is the easiest and the most affordable business that one can start with because the food items are easy on the pocket and readily available for their target market, which is composed of mostly students and employees.

The downtown area of Cebu City has the most number of food stalls that attract people especially the students. Most stalls are mobile and can be found on the side streets of Cebu’s main thoroughfares.

Olympio Tagalog, 62 years old, who has been a street vendor for 25 years, said this business is suited for people who have passion for food, good social skills and flexible attitude.

“Ang kinahanglan gyod ini nga negosyo kay diskarte, paninguha ug pailob (This particular business needs good tactic, hard work and patience),” he shared.

One needs no college degree to start serving food to strangers in an open space. But if you have what Tagalog has in terms of attitude, you are on the right track of becoming a successful street food entrepreneur. (FREEMAN)