AT the corner of Fatima Avenue, something aromatically familiar grasps passersby.
Following the scent brings the curious to a decrepit gate that, when opened, surprises with the familiar smell and sizzling zzzztttt of a burger patty being grilled.
Welcome to Burger Mentality, a “guerrilla” food joint by originally four close friends and young entrepreneurs at the heart of this northern city of Valenzuela.
The four who created an idea using their playful minds to start off a burger joint included senior high-school students Asharina Benito, Michael Francisco and Allen Lopez. Allen’s brother Ryan, a college student, completed the square.
These 18-year-old students battled to bring out passion into role. So, why wait for business school when you already got that entrepreneurial spirit burning?
Unplanned
ACCORDING to Benito, Burger Mentality is a product of an unplanned enterprise.
“Trip-trip lang noong una. [At first, it was just for fun],” Benito admitted with a laugh. “Mahilig naman ako magluto, so naisip namin na i-business na. [I love cooking, so we thought of starting a business out of it],” Lopez added.
Benito and her friends reflect the go-go spirit of today’s generation of entrepreneurs. They have an easy-go-lucky attitude but were driven to learn through experiences.
Ironically, these students are not the type one would actually think of pioneering a business as they seem to take things lightly.
As the nonbusiness students are juggling work and school schedules, they continuously explored the netherworld of business.
Benito, to note, didn’t consider what they were doing as work.
“Masaya katrabaho ang mga kaibigan. Sila ang nagpapagaan ng lahat sa trabaho [Working with friends is fun. they make everything at work easy],” she said.
Conflicts
ACCORDING to Benito, the burger joint started at their friend’s garage early December of last year. A month after, they decided to move out and finally put up the restaurant near the Our Lady of Fatima University in Valenzuela City.
The transfer arose from a conflict between them and their friend’s parents.
“Hindi namin napagplanuhan lahat [We did not plan everything],” Ryan Lopez said. Using their savings, an estimated capital of P30, 000, they were able to find a place near the garage they first started their burger joint.
Benito said during the first month, they were the talk of the town and their burgers were selling like hot cakes.
They believe this was because of price, which they consider at a level comfortable to their market.
She said they earn as much as P20,000 a month, with an average of 30 customers a day.
Challenges
BUT as they devoted time into the business, conflicts developed, Benito said.
One of their friends, a former owner, decided to withdraw.
The older Lopez pointed to the lack of professionalism and the ability to take criticisms.
Likewise, challenges arose after settling down in their new site.
“Dahil nagkaroon ng mga tambay. Hindi na kami pinupuntahan dahil sa ambience ng restaurant [A lot of bystanders came and customers were not pleased by the ambience],” Benito said. An unplanned opening was also chaotic. Benito said they are looking for a place to move in and start again.
To address the dwindling walk-in customers, the coowners decided to go into home delivery using bicycles and with a P20-delivery fee.
They also engage customers through their Facebook page. They also expanded their menu like including brownies.
Benito said they also ventured into paying for booths to sell burgers in other schools. She said they started at the University of the East (UE) where she and Allen Lopez are studying. They rented a booth during UE’s Foundation day in February.
We were sold out and students asked us if we would continue selling the burgers after the event, Benito said.
Young advice
A bright-eyed Benito advised that young entrepreneurs like them should not be afraid and should keep on trying.
“Take risks. Kasi wala namang matatalo kasi bata pa lang naman. And nandiyan naman yung mga magulang para sumuporta kaya walang dapat ikatakot,” Allen said. (We won’t lose anything since we are still young. And our parents are always there to support us.)
With all the challenges they faced, their parents supported them financially and all throughout the entire process. They let their children experience life boldly.
“Palibutan niyo ang sarili niyo ng good people: tamang kasama, tamang tao na pagkakatiwalaan,” Ryan said. (Surround yourself with good people: the right people to be with and to trust.)
Image credits: Maecy Palad