BEING a team sport, dragon boat racing promotes not only physical fitness but also camaraderie among its members.

However, bonding among rowers need not stop when practices and competitions end, said members of the Philippine Youth Rowing Society (Pyros), a club affiliated with the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation.

Thus, seventeen Pyros members thought it best to make available a venue where they and their colleagues can spend lighter moments together.

These paddlers put up a bar and restaurant called Rower’s Den.

“We had our grand opening in October, but the planning took place in January last year. The main purpose of this bar is for the dragon boat community and we in Pyros, as a team, to have a hangout where we can get together and bond,” explains Fernie Chavez, the one who came up with the idea of venturing into this enterprise.

“[Rower’s Den] was put up not just to earn money, but also to make people aware of our sport and to help uplift rowing as a sport in the country,” adds rower Ariel Dabalus, who is a managing partner of the enterprise.

Chavez says the group initially intended to put up the bar and restaurant in Quezon City, but they eventually found a home on the second level of Harbour Square at the CCP Complex, a few strokes away, so to speak, from the dragon boat community’s training ground.

First of its kind

And what better way to entice customers to hang out in Rower’s Den than to deck the place with dragon boat knick-knacks: Oars hang above the bar while photos and other memorabilia adorn its walls. One spot is dedicated to the Pyros team, which include various photos and a framed uniform the team used when they competed in the 6th Club Crew World Championship in Penang, Malaysia, last year. Another side has photographs of the country’s different dragon boat teams. The restaurant uses paper place mats with photo prints of the Pyros team in action.

“It’s the first of its kind,” says Nishy Ramos, referring to the concept of having a dragon boat-themed bar and restaurant.

Rower’s Den is the group’s first business venture but getting started did not pose a huge problem since many of them have experiences in handling their own individual businesses.

“Some of us are in the food business, so we had an idea on how to go about the venture—from marketing to promotion. We also had difficulties but it was easier than the experiences of those starting from scratch,” Sonny Dagoy states.

Aside from being paddlers and entrepreneurs, the managing team of Rower’s Den is a mix of individuals with interestingly varied professions: Lawyer, dentist, events organizer, bank employee, medical representative, executive of a corporation and school administrator, among others.

So how do they manage their time?

“We each have assignments as to how to go about everything. And a day is assigned to each one to take charge of the business,” Micky Darantinao explains.

The group also fondly recalls how at the start they did everything themselves, from taking orders to serving the meal and manning the cashier. But they did not mind doing all these things but rather took it as part of the learning process in the world of entrepreneurship. And although not all team members of the Pyros invested in Rower’s Den, others also contributed by sharing their expertise like one teammate who designed the bar’s logo.

Aside from the booze, Rower’s Den also offers an assortment of tasty and affordable food and pulutan.

Best-sellers include Mojos and Nachos, Steak Tornado and Stuffed Porkchop.

As paddlers often go out in groups, this watering hole is a perfect place to unwind, the group says.

“Pyros is a big group which started in 1991, so we also want old members, if ever they go back to rowing, to meet up here, see memorabilia and refresh their minds of their life as a rower,” Chavez shares, adding that they also request rowing teams to submit their videos to be played inside the bar.

“We also have paddler-customers who bring their families here and show them their photos displayed in the restaurant,” adds Ramos.

“While other rowers, who are also into other sports, bring their friends along here and brag about this water sport they are involved in,” says Dagoy.

Target market

The group also said Rower’s Den has also won regular customers outside the dragon boat community. Rower’s Den is also open for special events, private parties and reunions.

Feedback from customers is very encouraging, the group says. Members of the management team have been regularly coming up with promos to further enliven the place. Of course, paddlers get special discounts on certain days upon presentation of their PDBF IDs.

“We also have a Rower’s Night, which we plan to hold once a month. We want to invite other dragon boat teams to host it so they would kind of own the event,” says Darantinao.

The group agreed that Rower’s Den is still a work in progress but members of the team were satisfied with the turnout even at this early stage.

Asked what lessons from dragon boat training they can apply in running the business, they say: Team work and to learn to compensate because, just like paddlers in a dragon boat where each one has its own strengths and weaknesses, they need to know how to balance everything to ensure a smooth-sailing pace.

So when the drummer yells “Power longs!” these entrepreneurs will speed up their strokes as they paddle their way to business success.

For inquiries check out http://rowersden.multiply.com