A new wave of Filipino F&B
An interesting period of change is entering Philippine F&B. Before, good food has always been at the center of F&B but increasingly, it seems to be only one part of a much bigger equation. The way a restaurant looks, feels, operates, communicates, and makes people feel has become part of the experience.
Where are our ideas coming from?
Globalization has played a major role in how ideas and trends move through the F&B industry.
Visiting certain restaurants, bars, and cafés abroad has left a lasting impression on me. These experiences stay with me long after the trip, and sometimes make me think about what elements of those experiences could work back here in the Philippines. I imagine something similar happens when diners are exposed to different standards and experiences abroad. They return with new references for what they expect from restaurants at home.
Whenever I have a new client, they almost always have an idea of what they want their F&B concept to be inspired by. This can come from a local or international establishment—but the underlying question is often how certain aspects of that inspiration can be adapted and implemented into their own business.
Another source of experience influence comes from Filipinos who have gained hospitality and F&B experience abroad and eventually bring those perspectives back home. This can be through a culinary internship, a full-time front-of-house or managerial position, or simply through working within an international hospitality environment. These experiences can bring different perspectives on culinary techniques, operations, service, design, and brand identity.
The exposure is not limited to experiences either. Through suppliers and industry networks, operators also have access to new products, ingredients, equipment, and technologies that were previously less accessible or familiar to the local market. These developments can influence not only what we serve but also how we design and operate our kitchens and businesses.
Additionally, as international F&B brands expand into the Philippine market, they also bring established operational standards with them.
At the same time, global restaurant rankings, awards, and dining guides— such as The 50 Best and Michelin Guide among other lists—have given diners more reference points for what restaurants around the world can offer.
What is interesting is how these different perspectives are being interpreted, adapted, and combined with local ideas. This is where a new wave of Philippine F&B is beginning to emerge.
The fine line between inspiration and imitation
As a consultant, we go through a detailed benchmarking process to make sure every element aligns with the client’s envisioned concept. However, one question I often ask myself is whether benchmarking is a form of imitation or whether it can encourage innovation.
The distinction lies in how the idea is interpreted, how much of it is made original, and how well it fits the context in which it is being applied.
Now, when it comes to analyzing trends—be it the latest matcha or ube craze, or a third-space café and bar—the challenge is understanding whether the trend has enough relevance to become part of a sustainable concept.
When we conduct market research, we give more importance to how a benchmarked idea or emerging trend can work within the culture of the audience, the market, and the direction of the brand.
If we can answer that, then this becomes a source of inspiration, rather than just mere imitation.
This mix of emerging trends driven by the market and benchmarking driven by operators creates a cycle where both diners and operators continue to change their expectations. Ultimately, this contributes to a new holistic approach to the dining experience—and the Philippines is no stranger to this phenomenon.
The rise of holistic experience
It’s not just food that drives people to go to the next new restaurant. It is the whole experience. Several factors include the whole construct of the restaurant—be it the food and beverage menu, the service, the branding, the design, and even the programs. These make up the experience a diner can absorb and begin to form a holistic hospitality approach.
More and more, the definition of what makes a compelling restaurant has become broader. These aspects should harmonize, or else diners can become confused about what the identity of the restaurant really is.
For example, a restaurant that is fully Instagrammable in its interiors and food can still provide generic service. A restaurant can also have a fantastic menu offering but a confused identity. There can even be different experiences within the same restaurant through different seating areas or setups, depending on what the concept calls for.
That’s because people are increasingly responding to this coherence in a concept, perhaps innately. But when they do feel it, they are more likely to remember the establishment, come back, and recommend it.
The real challenge is staying true
However, when all is said and done, the main challenge is maintaining the concept.
Keeping the food, beverage, service, programs, and brand aligned after the restaurant opens is one of the main challenges for operators. There will always be mixed reviews and new suggestions, and it is up to the operator to decide how much they want to diverge from the original concept.
New trends can come up and may become a pressure point for some operators. Menu and staff changes are also some of the reasons a concept can begin to drift and become diluted.
This isn’t necessarily bad. Concepts should be able to evolve. But consistency is what contributes to the feeling and experience that diners associate with the restaurant.
Another challenge is the discoverability of a restaurant in this day and age. Social media and key opinion leaders can sometimes drown out the market with the latest opening, the latest menu, and the latest “in” place.
Being distinctive is a great strategy for marketing. However, it goes both ways. Being featured can bring an operator greater visibility and potentially a larger share of the market, but it can also backfire when the expectations created by the exposure are not met by the actual experience.
Taking Filipino F&B further
We are at a very interesting point in Philippine F&B. Filipino chefs, bartenders, pastry chefs, baristas, and other hospitality professionals can produce work at a very high level. So the opportunity is to build stronger businesses and concepts around that talent. This is where people become particularly important.
Training, employee retention, and employee culture are still major challenges. A brand can define its personality beautifully on paper, but the customer ultimately experiences that personality through the people working in the establishment.
If employees don’t understand the brand or aren’t properly trained to deliver it, the intended experience doesn’t necessarily reach the guest. That’s because maintaining a concept isn’t only a branding problem or a design challenge. It is also an operations and people challenge.
The next stage isn’t necessarily about simply creating more restaurants or making them more visually impressive. It could be about becoming better at connecting everything: the food, beverage, service, branding, design, operations, people, and the identity of the concept itself.
Perhaps that is where the next wave of Philippine F&B can truly begin.
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