A few weeks back, Acceler8, hosted Eureka – a monthly talk series – focused on the pubs and restaurants behind the ever-evolving neighborhood of Poblacion, Makati City. Acceler8 invited owners and representatives of Poblacion establishments; Cara Paguio of Señor Pollo, Franco Ocampo of Tambai, Ian Paradies of Polilya, Martin Ledesma of OTO and Carlo Ocampo of Z Hostel, to share their stories about the neighborhood and their experiences in pursuing their concepts.
A key point mentioned in the discussion about running their own establishments is their manner of management. Other than well-thought-out concepts, these businesses go the extra mile with community-building and authenticity because they are owner-managed businesses. They hone the power of the mom-and-pop shops where the relationship of the customers to the actual owner is at the center of running the business. As a customer, having a conversation and a real relationship with the person running the business you are supporting has great value. This, plus genuine purpose strengthens these businesses to differentiate themselves to more commercial establishments.
The style of management and direction make the businesses in Poblacion work – a consensus among the speakers. This time around, the discussion jumps to exploring the current state of the neighborhood and how Poblacion got to where it is now – more creative and vibrant.
The main theme that surfaced is how they could retain this energy, all the while not alienating the natives of the neighborhood. Provided that Poblacion is still mostly residential, finding the balance between loud music, drunk customers and happy neighbors can be a daunting task. So not only that each of the speakers had to manage their own businesses, in Poblacion, they also had to manage the community. But with bigger responsibility, they had to step up to make it all work. Carlo mentions, “We have our own Viber group, where anyone can be called out. Messages like “Uy, yung customer mo nagkakalat na.” (Hey, your customer is a little out of control.) And everyone there sees it, so medyo nakakahiya rin. (it’s a little embarrassing)” These kinds of little gestures make it work, there’s an effort to take care of the relationship among the business owners and residents. It’s another reason there’s a strong energy of hospitality around the neighborhood, there’s respect among the locals and the outsiders who has brought something different to the area. “Dahil sainyo hindi na Red Light district ang tingin sa lugar namin. (Because of you guys, our area is not viewed as the Red Light district anymore.)”, a statement shared to Carlo by one of Poblacion’s residents.
Photography by Marvin Conanan
