Finding fortune in street food

MANILA, Philippines - Like the average Filipino Reymont Choachuy loves to enjoy street food in the bustling sidewalks or idle corners of the neighborhood. Little did he know that this passion for eating the “streetside delicacy” would lead to a very successful entrepreneurial venture.

It started in 2003 when Reymont was hospitalized because of diarrhea contracted from the streets of Muñoz in Quezon City. “I never expected that I would get sick, after all those years of eating that type of food,” said Reymont.

After that incident, Reymont vowed to bring the Filipino street food to a higher level. “I used all my savings to start Sam’s Everything on Sticks in Tutuban Centermall,” he said. “It was not easy, but it turned out to be fate. We had competitors selling at lower prices but we never gave up on our battle cry of producing clean street foods that is reasonably priced. Sam’s serves everything on sticks that you find in and out of the streets, like fish balls, squid balls, among others. Then came the evolution of items like lobster balls, crab claws, corn dogs, shrimp bombs, etc.”

From the first Sam’s Everything on Sticks, Reymont opened the second outlet, a third outlet, and so on. As their business clicked and just when they thought that things couldn’t get better, people started lining up and asking questions about the business. “People came and kept on asking if they can have a franchise. We solicited the services of a franchise consultant to professionalize our business and conceptualize our manual for operations. There was then the need to establish a commissary that can serve all our outlets and ensure that all are of the same standard,” said Reymont.

Two years after Reymont set up Sam’s Everything on Sticks, Noble House was established. Today, with Reymont as president, Noble House serves as the franchising umbrella of more than 60 food outlets. Aside from Sam’s Everything on Sticks, Noble House carries brands such as Itlog on Sticks, Sumomai and Ferino’s Bibingka. All of these brands and concepts are a product of Reymont’s initial commitment of producing quality and safe street food.

Reymont also credits his company’s success to their franchising system. “One thing is clear. We wanted to make sure that the entry level of the franchisees is low. This is why we have a reasonable franchise package and we don’t charge royalties because we want franchisees to recover their investments in less than 18 months. Nevertheless, we never saw our package as cheap compared to others, since we offer better presentation in our state-of-the-art food cart while it was made sure that franchisees enjoy good margins to make this business a lucrative one for them to manage. Noble House wishes to help Filipinos achieve the Filipino dream of one day having their own successful business,” he explained.

With the present success of his business Reymont, at the age of 35, continues to dream even bigger. “My vision for Noble House is to have 1,000 outlets nationwide and to eventually become the biggest franchising company in Asia.”

As Reymont believes that every Filipino can be a successful entrepreneur, Go Negosyo believes that every young and aspiring negosyante should learn from his entrepreneurial journey.

On Sept. 27, the Go Negosyo will be recognizing Reymont as one of the Go Negosyo inspiring young Filipino entrepreneurs in the 2010 Youth Entrepreneurship Summit at the World Trade Center, Pasay City. The award will be presented by Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion along with the Go Negosyo Trustees. This will be the second major event of Go Negosyo for this year, following the success of the Women Entrepreneurship Summit last March where 20,000 Filipinos flooded the World Trade Center.

The theme of the Go Negosyo Youth Summit is centered on reinforcing the entrepreneurial spirit of the Filipino youth by enjoining them to develop a positive change in their mindset and empowering them with relevant entrepreneurship tools and concepts. Forums and programs will be held, with topics ranging from the negosyo basics to tips and advices on youth concerns and interests. There will be booths and exhibitors, showcasing different products and services that also present business model ideas and opportunities to attendees.

Go Negosyo encourages the Filipino youth to take advantage of the one day summit, which is open for free. Mentors and other successful young entrepreneurs, like Reymont, will be there to share their words of wisdom to those who would like to follow their footsteps.

The Go Negosyo Youth Entrepreneurship Summit is presented by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship - Go Negosyo and the Department of Trade and Industry, in partnership with PLDT SME Nation, Smart, RFM, BPI Kanegosyo, Mang Inasal, Nokia, Citi, Alo Youth, Vitwater, Rexona, Creamsilk, Belo, ATR Kim Eng, R.A. Gapuz Review Center, National Livelihood Development Corp., Landbank, Presidential Social Fund, Condura, The Philippine Star, Folded & Hung, Ever Bilena, BDO and Splash.