When the pandemic was declared last year and lockdowns were imposed, restaurant brand Dapo at Tisa Filipino Cuisine was greatly affected. Managing Partner Teng De Castro said they had to close Dapo at Tisa's four branches in Metro Manila for two weeks, affecting about 80 employees.
The brand had to make a quick pivot from a dine-in establishment to a cloud kitchen concept, with food to be delivered or for take-out, to weather the crisis.
“We have a commitment to serve the community, and our kitchen crew, who are our frontliners, know that we need to provide the service especially that food is an essential factor in comforting stressed people," De Castro said.
De Castro, an aspiring MVP Bossing, reconfigured the business model, gave employees safety and health protocol training, and deployed those who had motorcycles and bicycles as delivery riders. Employees who needed to work from home became the restaurant’s online sales crew.
Pre-pandemic sales via delivery apps were at 20 percent for Dapo at Tisa. But with their digit shift, signing up for third party apps brought delivery sales at 80 percent, greatly helping keep the restaurant afloat.
“Being an optimist in times of crisis means being able to rise from extreme challenges, and for Teng de Castro, he made sure that their restaurant found solutions to continue their service to many countless customers. We at PLDT Enterprise commend him for choosing to bring out the best in himself and for his business," said Jovy Hernandez, ePLDT President & CEO and SVP & Head for PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups.
Hernandez said having De Castro as an MVP Bossing is very inspiring.
PLDT Enterprise launched its MVP Bossing campaign in December to inspire enterprises to rediscover and reinvent their businesses today to successfully thrive in the future.
With the theme Rediscovery, Reinvention, it aims to convey a message of hope as local entrepreneurs who took on the challenges their businesses faced because of the global health crisis are recognized.
For more information on PLDT Enterprise’s MVP Bossing campaign, visit pldtenterprise.com.