Despite the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Minute Burger, one of the oldest and biggest Buy 1, Take 1 burger brands in the Philippines, has continued to grow in 2020 by adding 69 new franchised stores to its more than 500 existing stores across the country.
“We placed our trust in our franchisee partners and made them our priority during this period to ensure they received the necessary financial and business support from us to continue to weather the crisis. Our success is attributed to our franchisees who were resilient, cooperative, and committed to working together and continuing their business despite the restrictions and new regulations brought about by the pandemic,” said Chai Catan, Leslie Corporation’s Franchise Recruitment Manager.
“Very early into the announcement of the first lockdown, Minute Burger prepared concrete recovery plans and contingency plans to clearly outline the way forward for our brand and for the franchisees. This provided stability and confidence within our teams and franchisee network,” Catan said.
Minute Burger opened 10 new stores simultaneously in one grand opening event in Zamboanga City, Rizal Province, and Metro Manila in October.
Another 59 new stores were also opened in other key cities across the country between July and November.
The Minute Burger team fully supported its franchisees with store opening guidance and socially-distanced celebrations.
Prior to opening, all stores and franchisees received intensive store operations training, which has since been adapted to suit a hybrid and online approach.
Adding to the growth of the Minute Burger brand is its agile pivot to online delivery services.
Minute Burger worked quickly with their franchisees to scale delivery adoption within their network from just four stores in early January this year to over 446 delivery-ready stores nationwide in October, with more in the activation pipeline until the end of this year.
“We embraced the changes with an open mind. Rather than accept that stores should likely close and wait out the pandemic, Minute Burger aggressively pivoted to new sales channels on online platforms for online ordering and online delivery,” Catan added.
Minute Burger has been serving Filipinos with affordable and delicious food and Buy 1, Take 1 burger products since 1982. It is founded by Leslie Corporation which is best known for its snack brands loved by Filipinos across the globe, Clover Chips and Farmer John Premium Potato Chips.