The chief operating officer of one of the country’s leading food franchise businesses continues to push the envelope in a bid to attract more investors, create jobs and prove that when it comes to food and business, Filipinos are, indeed, no small fry.
By JOSE PAOLO S. DELA CRUZ
In the world of food franchising, Potato Corner is king. And it has 1,600 stores to show for it — from Aparri to Basilan, all the way up to in 15 countries across five continents. At the helm of this franchising powerhouse is Joey Alvero. Prior to being appointed as its COO a couple of years back, Joey was tasked by Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. (SPAVI) to study the viability of acquiring Potato Corner as another tentpole brand for the growing food group.
Back then, Potato Corner already had around 700 franchisees and was a strong number two in its segment.
“At SPAVI, we’re all about ‘wowing.’ That’s why we’re always looking for brands that have a potential to be number one in their category,” shares Joey, who alongside SPAVI investor relations and corporate development head Myrose Victor, undertook due diligence for the brand. “We realized that not everybody eats pizza, tuna, or chicken, but everywhere in the world, almost everyone definitely eats fries!”
When the ink finally dried in 2022, Joey and his team immediately went to work to unleash Potato Corner’s full potential. Aside from enlisting around 100 franchises over the past couple of years — bringing the total up to around 800 — the brand also opened the most number of stores in a single year in 2023. They’ve also introduced Potato Corner to Malaysia and are in talks to open in more countries in the coming years.
“We’ve grown 60 percent from our original base since we acquired the brand. Potato Corner has also become the leading kiosk brand in the Philippines today, as confirmed by Euromonitor,” adds Joey.
Ringing the bell
Inside the offices and warehouses of Potato Corner and SPAVI, one would find a literal bell, which they would ring whenever the team performs well.
Naturally, that bell rang when Potato Corner officially became number one in its category. “That was in 2022, during the first year of the acquisition. When we heard of the news, we were like, ‘Hey! We’re number one already.’ And [we] immediately rang the bell!” Joey says with a hint of nostalgia.
Being number one, though, was no simple milestone for Joey and his team. Rather, it became the cornerstone for future innovations that would help them maintain such a lofty position. “We continue to invest in the brand, our people and our stores, so that we widen the moat against competition. We cannot be complacent. We cannot rest on our laurels because it’s very easy for anyone to put up a French fries stand, right? So the question always is, how do we maintain being number one?” he asks.
The key, according to Joey, is in knowing the strengths of the brand and continuing to build on them. “Aside from ensuring the top quality of our products, we have also improved our systems and processes thus allowing us to serve our customers faster and more efficiently,” explains Joey.
If you think little Poco (Potato Corner’s mascot) looks cuter these days, it’s also thanks to Joey and his team. “We did a brand refresh, which helped us adapt the brand to the current times, while still paying tribute to its history as a franchising giant,” says Joey. For instance, the four strands of hair on the mascot’s head are actually an homage to the brand’s founders: Jose Magsaysay Jr., Ricky Montelibano, Danny Bermejo and Jorge Wieneke.
Efficient, effective, ethical
As a business leader, Joey considers being “efficient, effective, ethical” as his North Star. He also knows how to value his people, a trait that is only further reinforced by his mother company SPAVI and Century Pacific Group, Inc., whose board immediately decided to retain all of Potato Corner’s employees after the acquisition.
Growing the brand also takes an even more meaningful turn for Joey when he thinks of the numerous job opportunities it creates. While every Potato Corner store requires minimal manpower, Potato Corner has still been a good driver of job creation nationwide, given the significant expansion of the brand.
It is therefore ironic that Potato Corner came under fire last year, when netizens likened a job ad for the next Potato Corner attendant into a beauty pageant of sorts.
Rather than go on the defensive, or perhaps, pin the blame on some party or person, Joey and his team immediately issued an apology on behalf of the company and assured their followers that such a misstep was not being taken lightly. “Discriminatory hiring is not something we support or condone, and not aligned with who we are… We’re all about providing equal opportunities for all, and giving fair recognition and reward to effort, attitude, potential and creating positive outcomes,” it said in a statement last August.
These are no empty words either. “Shortly after, we created policies to ensure that all online postings are sent to our marketing department first for review, in order to promote consistency across all communication platforms,” he shares.
Be his guest
Prior to joining SPAVI seven years ago, and even before he worked for McDonald’s, Red Ribbon and the Ramcar Food Group, Joey wore the hat of a hotelier.
Shortly after acquiring his bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration from the University of the Philippines in 1984, he started his career at the Mandarin Oriental (where he also worked with no less than The Philippine STAR’s future president and CEO Miguel Belmonte). He also lived the life of an expat for a while, as he went to China to open the Palace Hotel.
And all these helped him excel in his job in the food industry.
“I didn’t actually change careers, because, in a way, I’m still part of the hospitality industry. It just so happened that when I was with the hotels, I was selling rooms and entertaining hotel guests. But now in the food industry, I think I’ve simply crossed over and instead of rooms, I’m selling food or retail items,” says Joey, who has also worked for the Peninsula hotel chains.
In fact, such hospitality is ingrained in the culture of SPAVI itself. “We don’t call them customers, we call them guests,” adds Joey. And what a difference it makes!
Dealing with a customer, he elaborates, tends to be more transactional in nature. Dealing with guests, on the other hand, paints an entirely different picture. “It’s like welcoming them into your home, letting them sit on your chair, sleep in your bed. When it comes to guests, it’s more about taking care of them beyond just serving them during that specific transaction. And that has allowed us to have more loyal guests, local patrons over the years,” says Joey.
And in doing so, Potato Corner’s “guests” are able to enjoy not just freshly cooked buckets of flavored fries, but the invaluable hospitality that comes along with them. “In a way, I think I’ve come full circle. In the first hotel that I worked with, our tagline was ‘excellence in every detail.’ Doing whatever it takes. Now it’s about the wowing culture and consistently exceeding guests’ expectations. Different institutions, different business models but the same principle of ensuring that you delight your guests and deliver more than what is expected for your stakeholders,” he concludes.
Photography by STELA YOUNG
Grooming by LARS CABANACAN
