Revamped PH burger chain takes on crowded marketplace

WHAM! Burger gets a makeover to attract a more mature crowd.

Antonio Yap is a certified burger fanatic.

Tony, as he is known to friends and family, admits that he is such a fan that he even worked for McDonald’s for a time.

He didn’t mind cleaning windows, manning the cash registers and clearing tables—as long as he is close to burgers.

“That’s really what I know. I’m a big fan of burgers,” Yap who has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Santo Tomas.

In the early 2000s, he decided to venture into the food business. He sought help from his friend, Dondi Lazaro, who has a hotel and restaurant management degree from the University of the Philippines.

Finding the perfect recipe for the burger was the hardest part to decipher, says Yap. “Luckily, we had friends who were willing to taste the experimental burgers.”

The search for the “perfect” burger recipe ended in 2001. Next, they had to find a location to house their product. They picked Katipunan Avenue as a saleable spot because three big schools happened to be within the vicinity.

His father-in-law, former Malabon mayor and Metro Manila Development Authority chair, Prospero Oreta, offered the property where the restaurant was built.

Like all things, the burger needed a name it could go by. The name had to be spunky and catchy. They found the name while leafing through a comic book. “Wham” is a sound effect used to express the sound of a forcible impact. He wanted to make an impact and to invite Pinoys to try a different taste when it comes to burgers, he says. He positioned the product as a gourmet burger.

What sets his burger apart is that it is sourced from 100-percent pure beef from Batangas.

On its first day, Wham! Burger shocked Tony and Dondi. They were surprised that many clients are very eager to replace their staple meal—rice and viand—with something else like burgers.

In 2003, they opened another branch in Edsa Shangri-la Mall. Then, they opened several stores in different malls like SM. They shelled out P2.5 million as their initial investment. Later on, they opened branches outside Metro Manila—one in Angeles and another in SM Baguio.

More than a decade later, Wham! Burger still serves its signature offering. Three stores remain: one in SM North, another at the Mall of Asia and the flagship store on Katipunan.

“I believe that the key to success is nonstop innovation,” he adds.

All three remaining stores are now up for renovation. The new look will focus to attract a more mature audience.

They intend to veer away from the comical look. But there are no plans to replace the name. In addition, they will be serving local and imported beers.

But if he had to list down the number of wrong decisions he made, Tony only has one: his choice of locations.

“One wrong move and that could spell a loss in millions of pesos,” he says.

Yet, that’s water under the bridge now. For him, failures often leave valuable lessons.

Tony patterned his business ideas after the famous In-N-Out Burger chain in the US.

He noticed that its menu hardly changes. But the Americans keep coming back for more.

He points out that it doesn’t work out that way for Pinoys.

“We tend to look for something new each time we visit the same store,” he explains. Whether it be a new product on the menu or a new look for the store, Tony emphasizes the importance of being a hands-on businessman and the need to adapt to change.

In the end, it’s Tony’s love affair with burgers that keeps him moving forward with bigger dreams with the wham effect.