No business like food business

Ogie Alcasid has been collecting feathers in his cap throughout his colorful career. A singer/songwriter, television presenter, comedian, parodist, actor, husband, father, current president of the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-Awit (OPM), he is also an entrepreneur.

He is no stranger to running a business. Ogie has tried his hand at more than one trade—one too many, in fact. Yet, he keeps going back to the food business. For him, there’s no business like the food business.

He is the owner of hot dog stalls Oggie Doggie; chair of www.opm2go.com, an online music store exclusively selling original Pilipino music (OPM) songs; and president of an events firm, Starmedia Events.

Before Ryu, “I had a thousand businesses,” Ogie says. “Everybody loves food. It’s not hard to sell. It only becomes difficult to sell when it doesn’t taste good.”

Together with four friends, Ogie set up Ryu Ramen and Curry Restaurant.

It wasn’t hard for them to decide on Japanese cuisine, he recounts, because their taste buds prefer Japanese over everything else.

Edwin Dazo, Neil Castillo, VJ Vergel de Dios and Joseph Juico collaborated with Ogie to share their passion for good food with a public who loves to eat.

In Japanese, Ryu means “dragon.” They decided on the name of the restaurant because Edwin, Neil, VJ and Joseph were all born during the Year of the Dragon. Ogie believes he was born under the sign of the goat.

In setting up Ryu, “the research and development component … consists of eating ramen and gyoza for a couple of months,” Ogie explains.

In the end, they learned that the secret behind making good ramen is in the broth.

“The broth has to be very, very good,” he explains.

In all, they have put up three branches of Ryu Ramen and Curry. Their first branch on Tomas Morato opened its doors in 2012. The next to open was the branch at the UP Town Center.

Ogie says he assigned himself to the UP Town Center outlet because it is near his residence.

Their newest branch is located at the SM Jazz residences in Makati.

He visits the establishment at least once a week. He limits his presence in the branch because he finds it challenging.

Of course, seeing him in the restaurant is an added treat for the customers. But for him, he feels like he gets in the way of the natural order of business.

He says that, in running the business, he sometimes finds himself doing the oddest tasks.

“You have to be hands-on if you want to be in the food business,” he says.

Once, he had to rush to the grocery because a branch ran out of eggs. A trip to the bank to get loose change is also part of the job. From doing the most minute tasks to studying the science of supply chain, Ogie has been through it all.

Yet he admits that having good friends as business partners has its perks.

For one, they get to capitalize on each other’s expertise. Another is the good laugh that comes after a long day at work.

His initial investment amounted to P4 million and the rest came from equity. Most of the funds went into business development and day-to-day operations.

They also sought the help of a business developer in the person of Jojo Ajero.

“We had to undergo a business seminar to learn the ropes,” Ogie says.

From just a crew of nine, Ogie and friends now have over 48 employees.

“They have different temperaments. But it is through them that I learn the goings-on of the business,” he says.

The sense of fulfillment comes from the fact that Ogie gets to share his passion with others.

“It has always been my dream to have my own restaurant.”

Nothing ever comes easy, but as long as he is around friends who have good business sense and are willing to share their time and knowledge, then all else will follow.

Quality control is the one thing that Ogie puts a premium on. He considers the kitchen and dining area to be the backstage and main stage, respectively.

At the backstage, or kitchen, all the preparations take place. At the main stage—the dining area—customers get a taste of what the people at the back are doing.

His wife, Regine Velasquez, also played a key role in setting up the business.

“Regine knows how to cook. She tells me what the food lacks, if it’s too salty or too sweet. I make the adjustments based on her suggestions,” Ogie says.

“But Regine likes any kind of food,” he adds.

At Ryu, the kitchen staff serves appetizers, some a la carte dishes, Japanese curry and, of course, ramen. The restaurant also offers gyoza (pot sticker)—a dumpling consisting of ground meat and vegetables wrapped in a thinly rolled piece of dough. It can be fried or steamed according to one’s preference.

For the a la carte selection, Ryu offers Yasaitame (mixed vegetables)—a popular homemade dish of sautéed vegetables and meat.

Also on the list is Tonkatsu—breaded, deep fried pork cutlet sliced into bite-sized pieces and served with shredded cabbage. There is Karaage—small pieces of deep-fried chicken marinated in a mix of soy sauce, garlic and ginger, and lightly coated with seasoned starch.

For ramen, they serve tantamen (spicy miso base broth with ground pork and soft boiled egg), Ryu ramen curry (Ryu’s signature dish), gomoku (salted broth with seafood and sautéed veggies), shoyu (soy base broth with special ingredients like Menma and Konbu), and shio ramen (salt base broth with slices of chasyu).

In the curry department, they have katsu, katsucheese, seafood and pork gyoza.

In the end, Ogie believes it is the nitty-gritty stuff that makes running a business a rewarding experience.

Part of his job description is to bring joy to people. From his remarkable talent in writing songs and giving it life through his musicality, to performing in front of a sell-out crowd by dishing out his comedic acts, drawing smiles from the crowd is part of his daily tasks.

Seeing a customer walk out the door while rubbing his satisfied tummy and those who can barely stand up because they’re so full from the good food they just had, also offer  a certain kind of satisfaction, according to him.

These images stay with Ogie.