Dancing with the Devil

Chapter 35

We've both been busy—him with work, and me with the shop. I'm actually planning to open another branch in Tagaytay. A lot of the reviews and feedback from customers suggested that it would be better if we had a café there.

Well, to think that it's a famous spot for those who reek of alcohol or those who simply want to have coffee late at night. Kung hindi ang bulalo, mga sikat na kapehan ang dinadayo ng mga tao doon. Building a shop in the city is undeniably a good idea. Though, I need to work on it—to strategically build the new branch in a place where a lot of people go.

Adeline and I started working on it—she still works with me. She's become my right hand. A lot of workers have come and gone, but Gallo and Adeline are still here with me. I often ask them why they stayed, and they always answer frankly—that I pay well and am generous enough as a boss. They say they couldn't ask for more.

I'm not even offended by this honesty—how they only stayed because I pay them a lot. Syempre, aware ako sa mga paghihirap nila. I want them to be treated fairly and justly. Gusto ko ng magandang working environment para sa kanila.

And if I want to establish that, I should start with me and be the boss they would want.

Though I was only thinking of the other opportunities that they could get—much bigger and greater than in my shop—I couldn't picture them letting those things pass through their grasp. I feel a bit guilty. That's the reason why I'm trying hard na bigyan sila ng lahat ng magandang benefits.

At the same time, I'm really thankful that they stayed. The staff—I consider them as a family that completes the shop. Without them, it wouldn't stand on its own.

Malapit na rin pala ang 4-day paid leave na itinalaga ko sa kanila. It's a four-day leave where they can rest, enjoy, and spend time with their loved ones—or just basically have some alone time without worrying about not getting paid.

It's not ideal for a business, but it is in the mind, and I know how important a healthy mind is. And I don't think it's too much of a loss to my business. After all, it's for my workers. Hindi lang physical health ang dapat pinapahalagahan.

Aside from our physical body, our mind needs some loving and caring too.

Dahil d'yan, magbabakasyon na lang rin ako kasabay nila. Even if I have so many things on my plate right now, I think I deserve it too.

Adeline and I were on a quest to find a good spot to build the shop. Hindi ko na kailangan pang problemahin ang architect—my brother and his friends existed solely for that exact reason.

Yung lugar na lang talaga ang problema. The future of your shop lies in the place where you'll build it. Malaking advantage kasi ang lugar na paglalagyan mo. Even if your shop is not a known brand, if there are people in the place, there will always be customers. In other words, you'll also have the revenue and means to support and continuously run the café.

Next is the taste and quality of the food, along with the service and the whole ambiance. Dapat siguradong masarap ang sineserve na pagkain, para siguradong babalik-balikan. And a service that they'll surely remember—the ambiance itself is the branding. That's another thing customers will remember the most.

Food. Ambiance. Experience.

The holy three that you need to follow. It's what I've learned through the years of experience I had handling business. I may not have taken a business course, but handling it yourself—undergoing the never-ending trial and error—the knowledge and experience you've gained is enough for the business to keep going.

Most coffee shops nowadays sell their brand and the ambiance, not the food itself. Basically... mataas ang presyo ng mga pagkain pero bagsak naman sa panlasa. Yet they're still famous and profitable dahil sa pangalan. Hindi consistent, at lalong dahil lang sa hype kaya patuloy pa ring tumatakbo.