Food Business in the Philippines: 5 Reasons to Start One!

Do you feel like you’re not earning enough in your current job? Or are you a stay-at-home parent who wants to contribute to your partner’s income? If you’re thinking of a sideline to supplement your personal finances, a food business in the Philippines is ideal. After all, everyone needs to eat! And even the most unlikely food businesses can become profitable. Have you seen Angel’s Burger’s commissary in Marikina? Who knew that a buy-one-take-one burger business model would be able to fund a big building like that? 

Of course, profitability is not limited to just selling burgers. You can look at other examples of a food business, like a bakery business. You can sell ice cream, fruit shakes, shawarma, or french fries. We bet you can name various brands that are successfully selling those and are making good money!  But if you’re still on the fence about starting a food business, read our five reasons to create one. Who knows, these reasons might convince you!

Reason 1: Food businesses are always wanted.

The pandemic last year caused many businesses to close down or reduce operations. However, many food businesses also popped up. Think of the sellers of sushi bake and ube pandesal that became the in food last year. And the Philippine government has even classified food businesses as essential. See? Having a food business in the Philippines during a pandemic means your income earning capacity is pandemic proof!

Also, your food business can be about anything, and people here would buy. Check out Facebook Marketplace alone, and you’ll see what we mean. People are selling coffee beans, pizza, shawarma, milk tea, and so on. All food business ideas you can think of are valid because Filipinos love to eat! And just wait until the pandemic is over and Filipinos are allowed to roam and gather freely again. All those gatherings are business opportunities for food businesses everywhere.

Reason 2: You don’t need to be a chef to run a food business.

Unlike specific jobs, you don’t need to pass a civil service exam to have a food business. You don’t even have to be a professional chef, although that will definitely help. But think about it: not all chefs are also business people. Some would not want the headache of running a food business all while cooking at the same time. What’s important is that you have an idea and a target market that will buy from you. 

Of course, make sure to legitimize your operations by registering your business. Yes, even if it’s a small one. That’s the best way to start a food business in the Philippines – make it official. Eventually, you might find yourself wanting to do a more significant business. You can’t operate legally without the required paperwork, so make sure to find out the business requirements. It’s definitely a wise investment because you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches in the future. 

Reason 3: You can run a food business from anywhere.

If you’ve been buying from a sari-sari store or bakery that’s situated in a house, then you know what we mean. You can build up your food business from home, then start selling from there. If you’re worried about spending time with your family, you can always dictate the time you’re open and closed. It is your home, after all. And you can actually involve your kids in the business. Teach them to cook, and let them run errands for you, like buying ingredients or doing deliveries. But what if you have plans to have a food business that will go beyond your home? Well, you can also run that anywhere!

Check out various food businesses in the Philippines. They are situated in bus terminals, near schools, or are food carts in malls. You won’t see the business owners or any franchisee of Jollibee running the store. They hired other people to do that. The same goes with a catering business and other food businesses. If you plan to have a business outside your home, you really need other people for that. Don’t think of it as additional overhead costs. If you end up running everything, you really won’t be saving money or time. Instead, think of it as a way to multiply yourself. Just make sure you train them according to your specifications and wants. Then you can relax at home and spend even more time with the family, all while earning passive income. Just make sure to check in with your employees from time to time for quality checks.

Reason 4: You have many options.

What’s the best food to sell in the Philippines? Well, we can’t really answer that. As we mentioned in reason 1, Filipinos love food. As in LOVE food. So any of your business ideas would probably have a market. We recommend enrolling in The Bailiwick Academy for food recipes for business in the Philippines. Our classes include making dim sum, doughnuts, and even taho! Studying in our classes might give you ideas of menu items you’d like to sell. 

If you can’t think of any original food ideas, you don’t have to. There are plenty of food business brands in the Philippines offering franchises. You can check out the aforementioned Angel’s Burger, Mang Inasal, or Red Ribbon as examples. Again, we can’t really say which one is the best food franchise in the Philippines. So what we suggest is to check the franchise fees, if you can afford them, and how they treat their franchisees. Also, implement a good marketing strategy for your food business in the Philippines to ensure you’ll make a profit.

Reason 5: It’s easy to get the word out about your food business in the Philippines.

Word of mouth is essential when it comes to any business. If you treat a customer well, they’ll be so happy they’ll talk about you to their friends. That would bring in more attention to your business, which hopefully would mean more sales for you. And we know Filipinos love to tell stories, especially during social gatherings, whether online or offline.

But you know something else? Filipinos love using social media. According to Statista, as of 2019, there were around 74 million Filipino Facebook users. That means if even only one person posts about your food business, plenty of people will get to see it! And using social media is free. In fact, social media is one of the tools you should use for your online business. If you are not using it now, you’ll be missing out on many customers who might be looking for your product. And that’s only for organic reach. What if you started using paid Facebook ads to get the word out about your business? With the correct targeting and budget, you’ll be able to drive even more traffic to your business. And from there, it will be easy to get even more sales. You will immediately earn back what you spent on ads.

Has this list convinced you? If yes, we can’t wait to see what food business you’ll start, whether home-based or a food cart franchise. Just remember, like anything worth doing, running a food business in the Philippines will take plenty of work. But if you work hard and keep at it, you’ll definitely achieve success! 

P.S. Looking for food ideas to start your food business? Like we said, get plenty of ideas here at The Bailiwick Academy! Click here to browse through our courses.