Koreans fuel resto’s growth

BANKING on Korean tourists and Cebuanos’ taste for food, a Korean restaurant chain has added another outlet in Cebu with an investment of P4 million.

“For Daraewon, we invested about P3 million five years ago because we spent for building the structure here in the rented lot and for the second restaurant we invested over a million,” said Michelle Jang, a Korean and the restaurant manager of Darewon.

Jang said they would be looking at a period of one year for their new Me&Me Restaurant before they would decide to open more branches in other major cities in Cebu.

Jang said they are confident of their investments especially that Cebu is among the top destinations in the country now and with the Koreans continued interest in visiting the country for education, business and leisure.

Investments

According to Jang, the Philippines is very attractive for Koreans (South) for investments in the region with many already coming and looking for investments.

In Mactan alone, investments from Korean businessmen who partnered with local businessmen are poured in restaurants, dive shops as well as ESL schools.

Jang also said that Cebuanos had also acquired the taste for Korean food as more locals now frequent the restaurant.

She said that they had a Korean chef cooking for the restaurant which was serving unlimited Shabu-shabu and Yakiniku.

Jang said they have been getting many tourists in their restaurant which has helped fuel the growth of their restaurant.

Koreans have been the top group for the region especially Cebu in the last three years with most of them coming here to learn English and visit tourist destinations during the weekends of their six months stay in the island.

As of August last year, there are 285,390 Koreans that came to Cebu based on figures released by the Department of Tourism. /Reporter Aileen Garcia-Yap