AS darkness hugged the city street, Richerbert Curso methodically switched on lights in a watering hole he and his business partner Lester Paje thought was “only a dream”.
Curso flopped his weight on one of the bar stools chucked at the end of the restaurant along Maria Clara Street in Sampaloc, Manila.His eyes stole across the street, now blanketed with gray light. This was only a dream that seemed to be impossible to achieve, he said almost inaudibly.
Ironically, they were not the kind of people one would often see in a kitchen, experimenting on every dish. Curso displays the clean boy-next-door image; somebody one wouldn’t bump into night clubs cradling a bottle or glass of alcohol.
“I didn’t event know how to cook,” Curso said, giving a goofy smile. “Hindi rin ako umiinom. [I don’t drink, too.]”
Before the two ventured into running a restobar, Curso worked as a call-center agent, while Lester was battling the languor of the vast ocean as a seaman.
Unlike other businesses, theirs was an unplanned one, according to him.
“Sobrang bilis, isang buwan lang ang preparation. [It was very quick, it took us only a month to plan and prepare the business.]”
But what gave them the courage despite the uncertainties and skepticisms was their desire to follow their long-time dream of making themselves their own bosses.
Cool bar
CURSO was only 23 when he and Lester, 25, opened Spotlight in June last year. Since then, it has become the favorite den of students after a long day at school.
Spotlight is one of the coolest bars around the city, from its fancy tower drinks and budget-friendly meals to its very welcoming staff.
Of course, the Spotlight experience would be incomplete without being able to input the digits of the barkada’s favorite song in the bar’s karaoke machine.
They say there is no such thing as free lunch, but in Spotlight, they give the millennials what they want: music and fun, all for free.
As a call-center agent working from midnight to 9 a.m., Curso used to earn a monthly salary of P18,000. “Sa call-center industry, kung marunong ka lang magtipid, makakaipon ka talaga. [In the call center industry, if you know how to be thrifty, you will have enough savings.]” he said.
After he resigned from work, he learned about his friend Paje’s interest on entering into business. He turned down another job offer.
Second thoughts
SINCE he was a Business Administration graduate, Curso always thought about running his own business.
As a young entrepreneur, Curso believed that lack of self-belief is the biggest enemy in the industry.
“It would come to a point na mahihirapan ka, at kung wala kang strong foundation sa sarili mo, mawawalan ka ng lakas ng loob. [It would come to a point that you will go through a lot, and if you do not have a strong foundation within yourself, you will lose determination.]”
Curso said it was rough during their first few months in the industry. That time, too, Paje had conflict with his work abroad, while Curso began to doubt if the business was really for him.
He was almost regretful, thinking he should have just accepted the job offer. But we know there was no turning back, Curso added.
The friends stayed with the business despite all the consequences that might result from choosing to do so.
There is no denying how risky it was for us, since we had no experience in business at all, Curso said.
Millennials’ home
EVENTUALLY, people learned about the place, and it has become not just a shelter for those who want to stay the night while having fun: Spotlight became a home for millennials.
“Hindi ka [There’s no] magse-secondhand smoke because cigarettes were banned inside the bar,” said Quennie Ajayi, a 19-year-old Pharmacy student in the University of Santo Tomas. She added she loved going to Spotlight because the place was health-friendly.
Likewise, as a music lover, she added Spotlight is the perfect hub for her and her friends.
Another reason millennials love this place is because of its student-friendly meals, she said.
Spotlight’s menu is divided into five categories: Specials, Express, On The Spot Savour, Starters and Sizzlers.
The Spotlight Specials offer dishes that range from P60 to P65, while those under the Spotlight Express range from P50 to P65 each. Those who miss their mother’s cooking can order Spotlight’s home-cooked dishes, like sinigang na baboy (pork in sour broth) and tinolang manok (chicken stew). A dish range from P65 to P75.
Finger food range from P100 to 165 per dish. [Spotlight is open from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. from Mondays to Friday and 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Sundays.]
Image credits: Sherina Alexandra Baltazar