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Restaurant Series – Opening a Restaurant in Los Angeles

My main focus for the last 5 months has been our family restaurant business, Ninong’s. If you’ve been following along on Instagram or Twitter you’ll know that the wheels on this project started turning in March of 2017 when we first saw the space. 10 months later here we are, so close to finishing I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Seeing as my 2018 word for the year is BUILD I thought I’d share with you one of the business that I have built and plan to continue to build this year – Ninong’s.

The next 2 weeks of posts are going to be focused on opening a restaurant, specifically in LA county. I’m going to share with you what products we use, why we use them, how we plan our menu, tips that I’ve learned along the way, and I’m going to get as detailed as I can without boring the heck out of you guys.

So, I guess I’ll get into it with an introduction to the series. I want to start this off by explaining a few personal observations and opinions.

  1. The restaurant business is HARD. It is, hands down, THE hardest business I’ve ever ventured in. You work long hours, the industry is extremely competitive, and pricing strategy is not straight forward. That’s just the tip of the iceberg people!
  2. The restaurant business is EXCITING. Oh man, I need to tell you about the adrenaline rush you feel when you’re on the cook line or when you get an rush of people! Your 8 hour day feels like 4. It’s so exciting! I live for those moments when you feel your team in sync, the bond of trust flowing, and the orders flying out of the kitchen. There’s nothing like it!
  3. The restaurant business is BRUTAL. It’s safe to say that any customer oriented business is brutal. Everyone is a critic. And for those of us that have a thin skin 🙋🏻‍♀️ UH OH, not good. But specifically in the restaurant business, even more specifically Filipino restaurant business, there is a shift that is happening. There are pros and cons to this shift. The pros are that Filipino food is finally becoming a cuisine that people are interested in trying. Fellow Filipinos aren’t the only ones walking into Filipino establishments, other cultures are and that’s a beautiful thing! But the con to Filipino restaurants is it’s always compared to “mom’s cooking.” And let me just say, “mom’s cooking” can never be replaced with our cooking. I’ll just leave it at that. I think this might be true of other cultural restaurants.
  4. The restaurant business is PERSONAL. I think this is true not just for me (my restaurant happens to be very personal since we are family owned and operated) but for most cooks and chefs. Cooking is a very personal interaction with a customer. Everyone that cooks will cook with passion and heart, it translates into the food. No matter if you are cooking your own original recipe or recreating a recipe there is a lot of TLC that goes into cooking.

Stay tuned for the rest of this restaurant series! Regardless if you’re interested in the same industry or not I hope that you’ll be able to take some key things away to apply to your own businesses. Either that or I hope it’ll give you a glimpse of what it’s like to have to start a huge endeavor like this!

Xoxo,

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Word for 2018

Happy new year, Friends!

If you‘be been following me around in the last couple years you’ll now that ever year I choose a word the sets the tone for the upcoming 12 months. Last year, my word of the year was “Forward” and the year definitely lived up to its name.

In 2017 I laid a foundation for the current year. A lot of work had been done in 2017 to hopefully make 2018 the best year yet!

I’ve been thinking about what my word for 2018 would be for months now. I know this might seem silly but it’s a big deal to me. I just feel like it’s really important for me to have a running theme. Before I reveal my word for 2018 I’d like to lay a little bit of back story on how I chose it.

In October and November I reflected extensively on the past year. I set my goals based on what I have accomplished, what I didn’t get to cross off my list, and the foundation I set for the upcoming years. Because of that, I realized that this year’s word for 2018 is BUILD.

* I want to build a happy family with my husband

* I want to build successful businesses

* I want to build my relationship with God and involve Him in everything I do

* I want to build relationships with people

* I want to build confidence in myself

What is your word for the year?

Xoxo,

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Finish Off Strong Part 2 – It’s OK to Rest

I know I’ve been talking about all the goal setting and getting more done before 2017 is over. This might sound contradictory to what I’ve been discussing in my previous posts but don’t forget, it’s okay to rest!

Entrepreneur or not, we always put too much on our plate. Beginning of the year, middle, or end it’s always the case. We fill our schedules to the brim, pack our to do lists with a million tasks, and don’t have time to recharge or relax. Take it from me, this leads to major burn out and more often than not, a melt down!

For me, it’s all about boundaries. The more balanced my life and the more boundaries I set the more motivated I am to work when I “clock in.” Plus, I’m at maximum productivity since I’m well rested! Whenever Charlie and I went on vacation this past year it was so stressful before we left, *queue meltdown here* but while we were gone we were able to rest. Some of our best ideas happened while we were away. We were inspired while we were gone so we were so excited to come back to work and kick some work ass!

This year is a little different from the others. I usually wind down during the holidays (as most do during this time of year). But with all the big things we’re preparing for in the beginning of 2018 and all the traveling we did this year now is not the time to rest. I had plenty of that on all my trips. But if your season is different than mine, go rest! Don’t feel guilty about it – enjoy time with your friends, family, and loved ones. Enjoy time with yourself. That is, after all, why we do what we do.

Look at these cute pups relaxing in the sun! Emulate their vibes

I’m lightening up on the blog posts through the end of the year. I’ve got 1 more on Friday and then the blog is going to be quiet until after the New Year. I’ve decided that I’ve got my plate extremely full with Ninong’s through January so I decided to be real with myself and take a much-needed break from the blogs for now. But don’t worry, I’ll still be active on my Instagram and Twitter accounts in case you want to follow along as we prepare for our Grand Opening Party! I have every intention to start kicking some blogging butt in January after the dust settles (pun intended?) at Ninong’s new place.

Xoxo,

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