Digital Reporter
Robert A. Vergara Jr.
In a world of sushirritos and avocado toast, a Filipina millennial decided to bet on something else.
Kathleen Ragos, whose foray into the food business happened on her senior year in college in 2009 with a Morayta‑located kiosk called “Kubo” (that offered iced coffee called “Star Kubo”), decided in 2011 that the students in the university belt area were ready for budbod: a dish of glutinous rice wrapped in a banana leaf, the specialty of her hometown Rizal.
“I enjoyed it because there was a growing following, that’s when we decided to move the business to a 24‑seater place. We grew every semester until we could expand into a 90‑seater venue,” she recounted in an interview with SparkUp.
For Ragos, an education graduate, venturing into business is different from what she was supposed to pursue as a career, but her firsthand experience as a student constantly looking for affordable food and good service led her to put up the business.
Next month, her store, which is now called Juana’s Budbod and Coffee is opening its first branch at an SM mall.
“They (SM) are scouting for new potential concepts. They have invited us for a talk, deliberated over a panel if our concept and food are great. Gladly, we passed,” she said.
Though Cavite is relatively far from budbod’s origin, Ragos is confident that the dish “will be a hit in Cavite” with the “fast paced lifestyle of Caviteños who love to eat.”
STUDENT ROOTS
Juana’s story is a story of succeeding in the otherwise competitive student crowd. While places near schools command a high foot traffic (the Far Eastern University in Manila, for example, has a total of 30,000 students), it also means more competition—not just in terms of pricing but also concept.
“We like the creativity behind the simple concept of budbod. The usual comfort food in the university belt are oily food, so we make sure that our preparation is healthy and we serve vegetables on the side,” she said.
That eventually became a value that ran deep in the company’s veins: “We stick to our core principle to remain classic. Budbod is very powerful for us in a sense that it is served in a very unique way, and is eaten in a very unique way, but it looks simple. Everybody who sees budbod is interested to try it.”
Currently, at the lone Mendiola outlet, the flavourful thick rice sprinkled with meat and spices and served with ensalada (tomato, onion, salted egg salad) and Dalandan juice starts at ₱89. A group can also avail of its boodle fight version of the sticky delicacy.
Aside from the meals, Juana’s has a homey feel that harks to the provinces—something that those who hail from faraway lands may revel in when they’re tired of the typical urban, minimalist interiors of most Manila food shops.
For Ragos, running a business with students as the target market has its pros and cons. The business forces them to strictly base their products’ prices on the usual budget of college students, which, on the brighter side, teaches them to minimize cost.
“We carefully studied how to increase the yield of our meats without sacrificing the home‑cooked quality of the food, the process to achieve a good performance despite less manpower,” she said.
With their operation immensely depending on students’ schedule, Ragos said they have “play around their business model” to address lapses during off‑peak seasons, holidays, typhoons, and floods, which all prompt schools to suspend classes.
“We attend to the most obvious challenges of the business. We respond, correct, and develop what must be. We use tools to align everyone in the company with our vision and strategies, so that together we maintain the magic, synergy and charm of the business,” she said.
Putting up a food shop—or even just a small stall—in the vicinity of a school is probably the most ideal business. After all, where will students resort to after a long day? But succeeding in such venture requires more than sparing money and time. It takes courage to resist competition, the constant market movement because of trends, and ever‑changing taste of students.
