Ups and downs of food venture in Cebu

THE ESPINA family upgraded the look of the store after a court decision ordered them to change their previous name.

CEBU CITY—In December 1987, when all roads led to the bustling Colon Street in the city’s downtown area, couple Victor and Luisa Espina decided to open their first food business.

It was a time when big fastfood chains had not yet invaded the city and Cebuanos were looking for alternatives to the usual “lutong bahay” and “carinderia” setup.

“The store was named MacJoy, perhaps a burst of creativity and it sounds fun,” says Ingrid Espina, marketing director of MJ Food Haus Corp. Ingrid is the Espinas’ second child.

MacJoy is the couple’s first food venture. Both of their families are involved in retail business; Luisa’s is known for their retail and garment business in Cebu.

The food business flourished, enabling the company to open two branches in the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu in the early ’90s (which later closed because of slow foot traffic).

Another store was opened on November 1994 inside Ayala Center Cebu.

Loyal customers

Although the business did not grow as fast as well-known fastfood chains, Ingrid says the family was satisfied with how the business was sustained by its constant flow of loyal consumers.

COUPLE Victor and Luisa Espina (extreme left and extreme right) started MyJoy on December 1987 when fastfood chains were not yet common in Cebu. In this photo, the couple is joined by children Ingrid, Brian and Marjorie during the reopening of the Ayala branch in 2007.

The family, however, was surprised in early 2007 when a Supreme Court decision forced them to implement a major business overhaul. And it came on the store’s 20th anniversary.

Ingrid was with her older sister, Marjorie, in Germany when she read on the Inquirer website that the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the international burger chain, McDonald’s, and ordered their restaurant to change its name.

The use of the prefix Mac and the corporate “M” design logo, which the Espina family business has been known for since 1987, has been the subject of the lawsuit.

“It came as a surprise to us because we won in every court but since it was already a Supreme Court decision, we had to comply. The first step was to change our store, but which aspect?” Ingrid says.

Homegrown brand

The experience made them rethink their direction as a homegrown brand and of ways to reintroduce the store to the market and generate renewed interest.

From MacJoy, the store was renamed My Joy.

“And it defined what we truly are. The (name) transition was as smooth as it could possibly be. There was renewed interest in the brand. It also became a point for us to evaluate our products,” Ingrid says.

With the change came a fresher look for My Joy’s interior, the familiar pink and yellow green colors are still there but enlivened with a new store layout and wider food selections for consumers.

Signature products

HALO-HALO is one of MyJoy’s best selling products.

Signature products such as pork belly, “halo-halo” and taco kept busy foot traffic.

In 2008, they opened www.myjoy.ph which offered online food delivery. Last year, they put up “Wanna Eat!,” a store inside Asiatown Information Technology Park, where they offer My Joy products, as well as Butterbean and Brasco Pizza. Butterbean is the pastry business of Ingrid’s younger brother, Brian, while Brasco Pizza is another family venture.

As a true homegrown brand, Ingrid says the family refused to be defeated by any test of time—whether financial or psychological.

Multitasking

If there’s one thing she learned from her parents in running a family business, Ingrid says it was the value of being able to multitask.

“I was in grade school when our store in downtown Cebu first opened and I remember seeing my parents doing all sorts of tasks from purchasing to sweeping and mopping the floor,” she recalls.

Being in the food business keeps them on their toes as they pay full attention to food safety and innovation.

“Someone has to have a stomach for it if you enter the business. You have to be adaptable to all changes in terms of consumer preference. One has to be creative and innovative because consumers have a variety of choices to choose from,” she adds.