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June 05, 2012
How to...
BY GIANNA B. VILLAVICENCIO Special Features Writer
Tech It to the Grill
Who says you can't have two of your dream jobs at once? Monica Kabigting, mobile data services head of Globe Telecom, Inc. and co-owner of American restaurant Rub Ribs & BBQ, shares how she does it.
While Ms. Kabigting has been working at Globe for three years now, she got into the food industry only in March 2011. She and her husband Martin, a chef who previously worked for Unilever Food Solutions, had in the past often talked about starting their own business. With wedding godfather Nicky Camcam and their friend Don Tayag, they opened the first Rub branch on Scout Rallos St., Quezon City.
"We decided to set up there because the area is a food destination… We felt it was the best choice among our location options," said Ms. Kabigting in an e-mail.
Rub's target market is families and young professionals in search of comfort food at affordable prices. The place is best known for Raki's BBQ Ribs, named after the Kabigtings' son. Other best-sellers are the Rub beef, grilled fish, onion rings, and an appetizer called Pepperoni Melt.
According to the restaurateur, the initial challenges were figuring out policies for the kitchen, the dining area, procurement, and staffing. "Things can change so quickly given the factors like weather, demand, number of deliveries or pickups that day, etc. It was a period of constant adjustment," she said. "Today, we continue to learn, especially now that we have two branches and are trying to set up commissaries for future branches."
Ms. Kabigting also acknowledged that managing the restaurant is a team effort. "It's good that I have my husband and our business partners to help with operations… My husband came up with all the recipes. We went through several food tastings until we were set with our menu," she said.
As she handles the food marketing division, Ms. Kabigting is not required to be physically present at Rub everyday. She creates her marketing plans on weekends or after her work hours at Globe.
The entrepreneur also takes charge of Rub's Internet promotions. Her knowledge of telecommunications trends gives her more ways to reach out to the restaurant's patrons. "Because of Globe, I'm more knowledgeable about how to market Rub… This helps especially since reviews of the online community influence people's selection of restaurants," she said.
To keep tabs on Rub's online presence, Ms. Kabigting sees to it that her mobile phone is always within reach. "It's great that I can get notified anytime there's a tweet or a Facebook post," she said.
As for balancing her two careers, Ms. Kabigting believes, "If you'd really like to have your own business, you have to make time or else it will never happen."
Besides opening more branches of Rub in Metro Manila, Ms. Kabigting said that other plans for the eatery this year include offering more items on the menu and catering services.
Rub Ribs & BBQ can be found at 64 Scout Rallos St., Quezon City, as well as 88 East Capitol Drive, Bgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/RUBRibsBBQ.
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