Putting the customer first and treating them with care and respect is the secret of the Panoril couple’s success with their eatery in barangay Lahug, Cebu City.
Elizabeth and Damien Panoril started Chefnito’s Rendezvous in 2008.
Today they earn at least P3,000 net income daily, a considerable increase from the P2,000 a day they earned when they started, said Elizabeth, 47.
Earnings from the eatery pay for the tuition of their two children in college.
The couple started the eatery to augment the income of Damien, a banquet manager at a Cebu City hotel.
They needed the extra income for their children’s college tuition—Christian Delle, a nursing student, and younger brother Jayvie, who is taking computer engineering.
With their P15,000 savings, the couple opened Chefnito’s Rendezvous in JY Square Mall, barangay Lahug, which was a jeepney ride way from their home in Nivel Hills.
The eatery opened on May 8, 2008, offering al fresco dining.
The husband and wife cooked, tended the cash register and washed the dishes.
They also set up a television set so customers could enjoy watching TV shows while eating.
Their dishes like menudo, fried chicken, afritada, and pinakbet are displayed in pots and plastic containers lined up on a table for easy selection.
Running the eatery isn’t easy, Elizabeth said. She gets up early to buy ingredients for her dishes at Carbon market at discounted prices.
Her husband opens the store at 4 a.m. while she closes it at 9 p.m.
The customers are mostly students and employees working at a nearby call center.
The eatery was named Chefnito’s after her brother-in-law, who loves to cook.
As business picked up, Damien resigned from his job in the hotel and concentrated on running the eatery.
“He’s fully devoted his time in helping me at the store,” said Elizabeth.
The couple said they have to strive harder since the eatery is their main source of income.
“It’s about balancing the budget,” said Elizabeth.
“Everything we earn in the store has to budgeted.”
With the business doing well, the couple said they wouldn’t close it even after the children finish college and have jobs.
Elizabeth said the eatery is now part of their daily routine.
“Life today is difficult,” she said. “The business helps us a lot. And it also gives us something to do.”