Shaun T. Dy's Business & Economics Perspective Blog

  Last time, I wrote about Jollibee purchasing 70% shares ownership of Compose Coffee . It's easy to shout, "Pinoy Pride! The Philippines has conquered South Korea." I mentioned in that same article about one of my favorite tea franchises--Gong Cha. Gong Cha Korea currently owns 70% of the shares while Gong Cha Global owns only 30%. The big question is did South Korea just "conquer" Taiwan in what it did?  Pinoy Pride Economics (read about its socio-economic costs here ) might say yes to that. They might use Gong Cha as an example saying, "Are you crazy? Look at what happened to Taiwan! South Korea just checkmated it as Gong Cha Korea now owns 70%!" A good question to ask is, "If that's so why does Taiwan still remain a sovereign state and not bought by South Korea?"  Pinoy Pride Economics would rejoice with Jollibee growing worldwide but not in MNCs investing in the Philippines. Did they really think the Philippines checkmated South Kore

Yes, you read it right--Jollibee is set to acquire 70% of the shares of South Korean coffee brand Compose Coffee. This is an excerpt from the Philippine Star Global : JFC’s wholly owned subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. (JWPL) is set to acquire majority shareholding of 70 percent in Compose Coffee Co. Ltd. and JMCF Co. Ltd., collectively called Compose Coffee, for approximately $340 million . Titan Dining II LP and Elevation Equity Partners Korea Limited will hold the remaining shareholdings in Compose Coffee with effective interest of five percent and 25 percent, respectively. Through JWPL, JFC has a 90 percent participating interest in Titan Fund II , which is focused on strategic investments in food and beverage concepts with the objective to further grow in Asia Pacific food service brands and bring strong global food service brands to the region. It's effortless to start the cheer and dance when a Filipino company opens abroad. This is a meme by the CoRRECT Movement on F

  The last time I ate at a Hussam Middle Eastern Restaurant branch last year, I couldn't give a good assessment. I haven't been to Hussam's main branch at Il Corso, so I didn't formally meet its owner, Hussam Alfakeh Alkourdi. The branch I ate was in Ayala Center Cebu instead. This is the interior of the restaurant. Ayala Center Cebu has Persian Palate on the third floor, above Timezone. Hussam is near one of the entrances of Ayala Center Cebu--near a Chinese restaurant. Persian Palate was my entry point to Middle Eastern cuisine.  Hussam serves authentic Syrian food. There are dishes similar to those from the Persian Palate. They serve Syrian bread, different from my favorite Pita bread served at Shawarma Gourmet (read my review here ), a Lebanese restaurant. So far, I tried their mixed meat platter with Syrian bread. My second dish there was actually baked Arabic rice with grilled beef kebab. I love their tomato sauce (which I mistook for ginger sauce) and garlic sauc

Food Craving Reviews Tomorrow is Hari Raya Puasa. Previously, I Googled "Mhat Am Kape" some time ago, only to discover that the place had been permanently closed . It was closed in 2020 before the Delta Variant came out in 2021. Their Facebook page is still on but the place is already closed . I tried eating there, calling the place mediocre, and when I talked with workers for Arabian halal resto owners, they mentioned that the place was definitely dirty. I could imagine how the Arab bosses would react to the lack of proper hygiene in the place.  I'd like to share a few photos I took from Mhat Am Kape's Facebook page. One needs to find out why the place closed down. I assume somebody sent the Cebu City Health office photos. The pastils (empanadas) on the floor (right) are an open invitation to pests . As a result, the establishment would be forced to close down. If these photos were taken sometime in July 2020 and the establishment closed in August 2020-- I assume Ce

News of Tealive establishing its 50th branch in the Philippines  (which makes me wish Jollibee would expand faster in Malaysia soon) makes me ask, "When are they going to enter the Bangsamoro region?" Some time ago, I wrote a post about how Tealive opening in the Bangsamoro region would be a huge business opportunity . It should be noted that  former Malaysian prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, saw the potential of the Bangsamoro Region . Tealive isn't a Taiwanese but a Malaysian company where  the company uses only Halal-approved ingredients . Here's a photo from the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle's Facebook page . This was also written about the upcoming Ube series: LOOK: Tealive opens its 50th store in the Philippines at Park West, BGC, Taguig City.  At the event, ube is definitely in. Apart from celebrating the opening of their 50th branch, Tealive unveiled new “UBEr flavors,” cementing the status of the bright purple root as the flavor of the year for 2024 .  The

What I should have noticed is that on February 16, 2024, Jollibee was named the  second fasting restaurant . Yes, you read it right, and here's an excerpt from the Philippine Star :  Jollibee said its recent opening in Canada, the brand’s 100th store in North America, forms part of the group’s aggressive expansion plan for 2024. “ Being ranked as the second fastest growing brand in the world validates the effective work of all the leaders and teams of Jollibee – past and present –  whose commitment to the brand and its customers has helped drive the brand’s sustained growth over the years ,” Jollibee Group president and CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said. Brand Finance’s latest annual brand ranking report showed that Jollibee surged by 51 percent to $2.3 billion in brand value, rising to rank 17 from rank 20 in this year’s Global Restaurant Rankings . It also landed fifth place in the strongest restaurant brand category, with its rating improving to AAA from AA- . Further, Jollibee was t

I wrote my review of Phat Pho a few months ago . I tasted their delicious beef pho and some of that Vietnamese halo-halo. I tried their spicy beef soup (which has some pork and beef) called Bun Bo Hue. I was hesitant to try it. It's because the video I saw on YouTube added some crab and looked rather rich. Instead, I got a lighter soup which may not compromise in my quest for more weight loss.  It was served with basil leaves, mint leaves, and mung bean sprouts. That's really a lot of vegetables before eating the meat . It was a good thing there was some service water. I didn't have to add any chili because the soup was rather spicy. It used the same kind of Vietnamese noodles the pho. In my own opinion, it tastes better than the pho that I ordered. For me, this is a soup for those who love spicy food. As a person who goes to eat at Indian and Middle Eastern restaurants, I sure love it. 

As a Filipino, I've observed the Filipino diet tends to lean on a sweet tooth. What causes this probable genetic disposition of the Filipino to crave sweets? That trait might be traced to one's ancestors. Newsweek also mentions it might be with the DNA . The Malaysians and the Filipinos have close genetics. The Britannica also cites this about Filipinos: The ethnically diverse people of the Philippines collectively are called Filipinos.  The ancestors of the vast majority of the population were of Malay descent and came from the Southeast Asian mainland as well as from what is now Indonesia . Contemporary Filipino society consists of nearly 100 culturally and linguistically distinct ethnic groups. Of these, the largest are the Tagalog of Luzon and the Cebuano of the Visayan Islands, each of which constitutes about one-fifth of the country’s total population. Other prominent groups include the Ilocano of northern Luzon and the Hiligaynon (Ilongo) of the Visayan islands of Panay

When I eat at Shawarma Gourmet located in Escario Mall, Cebu City (read my first review here ), I usually go for the Shawarma. This time, I decided to try this new huge meal platter which is around PHP 549.00. As a beef eater, I went for the beef (mixed with mutton) kebab meal. The meal comes with some Arabic rice, some kind of salad with grilled cheese, falafel, hummus, garlic sauce, and some smaller versions of pita bread. The iced tea goes along with it as well. Maybe, I was expecting too much when I wanted cardamom iced tea instead of the usual iced tea.  It was kind of expensive due to the amount of delicious food on the platter. I can say it was worth it with four pieces of fresh pita bread, I got to taste some Middle Eastern salad, their own hummus, and some falafels. I get a lot of my favorites in one dis. It might be considered expensive based on its cost. However, I'd consider the price reasonable because of how many types of food I get to eat at once. It was delicious to

I was doing some random historical study. One of the many things I recalled from Asian history class was the Chinese Communist Party in Sichuan. It's an interesting piece of historical detail that Mao Zedong (and other Chinese communists) were avid lovers of spicy food . Yang Hero had its first branch in Gaisano Tabunok. It opened a branch in IT Park last May 25, 2023 . The menus had Chinese translations. The establishment has made me realize  the importance of learning Mandarin . True, I could order their food without speaking Mandarin. However, I still feel that the increasing number of Chinese businesses left and right would mean, "You may need to learn some Mandarin now to connect with more people in the world." For a bit of background, here's what I gathered from Sun Star Cebu: Evanmarie Mendoza, social media specialist at Yang Hero, said: “The Chinese barbecue is also a must-try for foodies as it differs from the regular ones that we typically have here in the P

It's time for an evening dinner. Rather than go to my usual "sweet spots"--I tried out Phat Pho of the Abaca Group. I got to taste what might be called "revolutionary food" because Vietnam is under a Communist regime. Well, Abaca Group is founded by is owned by Jason Hyatt and his Chinese wife Anna whom he met in Hong Kong. I tried eating Vietnamese spring rolls and Vietnamese steamed egg. I tried the Vietnamese Pho which is their soup.  I was craving some meat and I tried the ever-popular Pho special. It contains some shaved beef, braised beef, meatballs, and some tendon. It takes around 5-10 minutes to prepare to ensure that the soup is well-prepared. The noodles are a different variety from what I get from Chinese restaurants. Condiments are added so the customer can flavor the soup according to their preference. I guess one can say it's served without much seasoning. Adding condiments such as vinegar, chili paste, chili flakes, and pepper is needed. It&

I had written my personal review of Jolly Bubble as a Taiwanese-style coffee shop . During the pandemic before clearance, I would usually order their bento boxes (read my review here ). A recent item that was added to their menu was called Taiwanese peppered beef with smooth egg. In Chinese, it's called 黑椒牛肉配滑蛋 (Pinyin: Hēi jiāo niúròu pèi huá dàn). I'm sharing a few Mandarin tidbits here and there since I'm trying to learn more of the language.  It's under premium bento so it should be kind of pricy. Since it's a coffee shop so expect a higher price (read why here ). It should be around PHP 250.00. A price that would burden me in my student days but not in my professional days. The size is justifiable since after eating it--I simply am in full mode. I drank it together with pineapple citron oolong tea. So far, I believe this is my current favorite. Sure, I do love their mapo tofu with egg. I also love their chicken g-pai meals. I think this one is a must-try for be

I got to eat for the first time at the Yukga Barbecue Grill. Granted, the servings are rather huge and I was alone--I decided to try their delicious seolleongtang. It's around PHP 400.00+ and the serving was rather huge. It would be more advisable to bring a friend to share the bowl if you're a tiny eater. I remembered trying seolleongtang at some Korean restaurant (forgot the name) which closed down some time before the pandemic. I think it was located at The Greenery in Mabolo.  For those who have no idea what seollongtang is, the Korean Bapsang website shares this detail: What is Seolleongtang   Seolleongtang is a milky beef bone soup that’s made by boiling down ox leg bones for several hours until the broth becomes rich and creamy white . This broth is a staple in Korean households, especially during cold winter months. Legend has it that this soup was created because King Seonjong of the Joseon Dynasty wanted to feed a large number of people after an ancestral worship rit

Tealive Asia, the man in the picture is CEO and actor Fikry Ibrahim, hoping to see him in the Bangsamoro Region soon I did write a few articles about Tealive. These were about my experience at Ayala Central Bloc , how I'm currently fascinated with Tealive's palm sugar series , and the origins of Tealive in Malaysia . The current CEO is Fikry Ibrahim of Malaysia (above). Ibrahim was made Chief Expresso Officer (CEO) of Tealive . I felt that I needed to write this article because I found what might be a new business opportunity for developing Mindanao. I did some research on palm sugar and ended up writing about the Masarang Foundation in Indonesia . I advocated for ease concerning equity restrictions where certain industries only allow FDIs to own less than 50% (such as the 60-40 arrangement) to allow them to invest without having to look for a Filipino partner. I'm still against the sales of land to foreigners like a mall owner doesn't sell their spaces to tenants. With

KL Foodie I remembered having a meal at Tealive Ayala Central Bloc (read here ). What I never thought of was that Bryan Loo, the founder of Tealive and CEO of Loob Holdings, was once the CEO of Chatime Malaysia. I read through Compare Hero's article on Chatime vs. Tealive  (the article was updated last November 2021). From the ashes of a terminated contract came forth a rival for Chatime.  The Bubble Tea Disagreement The original disagreement between Chatime and Tealive started back in January when La Kaffa, the Taiwanese owner of the Chatime brand, announced they had terminated the master franchise agreement with Bryan Loo and his company Loob Holding even though the agreement still had more than 20 years to go. The reason for the termination was that Loob Holding was allegedly using raw materials that were not part of the prescribed recipe to produce its tea. During the initial press release, La Kaffa International also declared that all Chatime outlets would now fall under the d