A Fruitful Venture
He went out of his comfort zone by guess what? serving comfort foods.
In 2002, when Lester Yu put up Lush Corporation a company that serves fresh fruit juices and other healthy refreshments he knew he would someday go beyond servings drinks.
He couldn’t have been more right.
In April this year, Yu opened his first restaurant called Cocktales, which serves desserts and comfort foods. It signaled Lush’s readiness to explore new heights by expanding into areas previously excluded from its initial core competencies.
Cocktales follows the success of five health juice brands Fruitas, Juice Avenue, Buko ni Fruitas, Mango Farm, and Black Pearl—whose combined number of branches now exceeds 300 across the country.
“When we first put up Cocktales, It was meant to be just a dessert bar,” said this entrepreneur who founded and owns Lush.
When business didn’t immediately pick up as expected, Yu decided to serve lunch and dinner as well. “It worked,” he said.”People started coming in—teens, couples, family, barkadas and friends.
The first Cocktales branch opened in Sm Mega mall in April this year. In just four months, Yu managed to open three other branches in Trinoma in Quezon City, The Gateway Food center in Cubao, and IL Terrazzo in T.Morato. Come October, two more branches will open: in SM Mall of Asia and Robinsons Place Manila.
The Business looks very promising and full of potential.” He said.” “Few stores specialize in desserts. So we plan to be the leader in this line of business.”
Yu Estimates that diners only need around P250 to have a decent meal with dessert in Cocktales.
He loves seeing people enjoying their desserts, he added.” I am very confident about our products here. I’m sure people will love them.
Cocktales, Yu said, was so named because they like people who come to the restaurant to share tales while enjoying their exciting food and cocktail drinks.
Actually, Yu added, it was a bit easier to put up Cocktales than Fruitas, Lush’s brand, in 2002. By now, he said, he has established an extensive network of suppliers who deliver Fresh fruits and other raw materials to the restaurant. Putting up more branches nationwide and in the international market is in the works. He said.
Before the year ends, Yu said he would be opening Lush’s second venture into the restaurant business with the launch of “Rice a Palooza, “a food concept that has a menu centered on rice’s culinary appeal.
My greatest achievement so far remains my having proven that Filipinos can start a small and grow big business-wise,” Yu said. “I hope to inspire other people to venture into their own businesses, too.