Opening up a business in the middle of the pandemic in itself is risky. But opening up an upscale Wagyu Business – the first of its kind during global lockdown is almost an impossible feat. This Wagyu restaurant in Bonifacio Global City, however, managed to not just survive the challenge but also thrive as a business and make a huge name for itself in the Philippines’ fine dining industry.
This new steakhouse sets itself apart from the rest by giving first-hand Japanese experience to the Filipino palate. The restaurant, located at the Finance Center in Bonifacio Global City has a contemporary design with dimly-lit features. Its eccentric architecture transports the diners to a whole new experience. The restaurant has two separate dining spaces with a butcher shop.
The first thing that greets you as you enter the place is the 28-seater Yakiniku Lounge where diners can enjoy their multiple-course meats.
The brothers behind Wagyu Studio Manila, LA and Lui Clavano share their success story about how they brought the F&B scenes of Japan to the Philippines at the height of the global pandemic. They showed that with enough determination and persistence, you can do it too!
Following their passion
At the start of our interview with the Clavano brothers, we first brought them back to the conceptualization of the business. We asked them how they were able to create Wagyu studio as a concept.
“In 2017, it was our first time to go to Japan as a family and we fell in love with cultured food and everything,” says Lui. He added that they wanted to find a reason to keep coming back to Japan, and so they did!
It was their love for Japanese food that ignited their passion to look for a piece of Japan to bring to the Philippines, hopefully as a business.
Lui says among other delicacies in Japan, they were most interested in their beef and the excellent quality that it has. As big meat eaters, they were able to connect with a company and eventually a farmer that supplies the world’s best beef in Japan.
When asked about their “Why” Lui says “We want to educate the market on what good beef is.” More than bringing the authentic Japanese experience to their market, it is also their passion to educate the market that brought their concept into reality.
He added that they were already in the process of bringing the concept to the Philipines, but due to the pandemic, they discontinued their partnership with other suppliers. They, however, kept in touch with their farmer.
Eventually, they pushed through with the concept and that is how it all came to place.
Grit & hardwork
Opening a business in itself in the middle of the pandemic is a risk and a challenge. Bringing a new concept to the Philippine market – in a developing country adds flame to the fire. According to LA, starting the business was a huge challenge since they opened the restaurant around October-November of 2020 when transporting goods was jeopardized.
“One of the problems we have was breaking the beef because everything came from Japan. Transporting the materials was a challenge.”, he said.
It was a huge leap of faith for the brothers. Due to the global lockdown, they didn’t know if the market was willing to go out of their homes.
Despite these challenges, the Clavano brothers believed in their concept and faced brave waters. In the words of LA, “When people would decide to go out and risk their lives to eat, they would rather come here to eat great, fantastic food.”
“With God’s grace and a little bit of luck, we were able to pull it off.”, LA said.
The ₱8,000 gamble
The Chateaubriand sando, priced at about ₱8,000 per piece is the piece de resistance of the menu. It is claimed to be the most tender and premium part of the whole tenderloin, which is the most tender part of the cow.
Each cow only produces 400-600 grams of the Chateaubriand. This is by far, Wagyu studio’s most famous dish so far. The sandwich and the beef are fried and then placed into a special sauce. They even have a painting commission dedicated to the chateaubriand sandwich
According to Lui, the Sando played a big part in the business. It was instrumental, especially in the marketing aspect. People would see it on social media and people would be intrigued by how the Philippines would be able to serve the most expensive cut of beef in the world.
A reliable supplier is everything
True to its price, the owners behind Wagyu studio take conscious steps to maintain the quality of the Wagyu.
“We only get from Kyukotana, our farmer in Japan.”, says LA.
The cow from the said farmer always wins the championship. Through that, they were able to maintain the quality.
Trust plays a huge part in maintaining the quality of the meat. By sticking to one trusted farmer, the owners ensure that they only serve the best quality to their customers.
Maintaining a cohesive system
Lui and LA are at the forefront of the business. When asked about their work dynamic, they said that delegating tasks is key to a cohesive work system. Lui is in charge of the front, service, menu, etc. LA on the other hand is in charge of what is behind- admin, finance, permits, etc. It works pretty well and they don’t get in each other’s way.
In terms of managing the staff and maintaining the logistics, Wagyu studio utilizes technology to be updated on the restaurant’s affairs first-hand. LA says they want a unique concept for their POS system tailored to fit their business needs.
“In our travels in Japan, we noticed that restaurants there have cloud-based systems. It’s very digital and we wanted to do that in the Philippines.” Lui said.
While doing their research, Storehub was at the forefront. “When we reached out to their team and tried it, we didn’t have any problems so far. Everything is so convenient.” LA said
The owners find the convenience of checking their business’ affairs anywhere to be efficient since they are always on the go.
In terms of staff training, LA says Storehub is very easy and intuitive. Consequently, the staff needs very little training.
“It helps our staff since we know what items are moving and what is not moving. Every day we have a meeting with our staff at 5:45 that’s when we talk about what we can do, what to improve.” LA added.
Another thing that made Storehub stand out among other cloud-based providers is that it is BIR accredited. For the owners, it was an easy choice to make.
The success story of Wagyu studio is living proof that with the right ideas fueled by the right mechanisms, anyone can bring their plans into reality- even under challenging circumstances.
Starting a business in itself is already difficult, but it can be easier!
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