From selling scraps in the Philippines to owning three restaurants in the UAE, Filipina restaurateur

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00:00I've been here in UAE for 21 years now.

00:09We started the restaurant in 2022, officially we opened.

00:14Now we have three restaurants in UAE, and we just started from the humble beginning

00:20from 14 tables.

00:23Now we have 60 to 70 tables all over the UAE.

00:27We choose Korean because it's very famous, you know, during COVID, everyone wants to

00:32do blogging because they cannot do anything, or food trip, you know, if you can see the

00:37Mukbang, Mukbang has 10 to 100 million views.

00:42That's why we choose Korean.

00:43And also we designed the restaurant with Korean vibes, Korean food and Korean culture.

00:51So you can see our restaurant with a lot of Korean pictures here.

00:55When I was about six years old, I always look at the heaven and say, Lord bless us, because

01:01we came from the poor, very poor, we live in the slum area, we don't have water.

01:11We have to fetch the water from, you know, far, we have to carry the water in a container.

01:16We don't have electricity.

01:19The thing that I cannot forget that my mother teach me to pray, and ask the Lord to bless us.

01:29And I have chance to meet one person to offer a job here in UAE, and I started from $1,000.

01:36When I stepped into the plane, I have a great gratitude feelings that, Lord, thank you for

01:45this blessing, I will use this blessing as a channel.

01:49As a ladder for success, I don't know, you know, how I become like this.

01:55But because maybe the Lord knows your heart.

02:01But when I was in the Philippines, I always wanted to be a channel of blessing also to

02:07everyone.

02:08You know, it's not, I'm not looking for myself also, I'm looking also for my family or the

02:14other people that I can help.

02:18You know, when I was in the restaurant, they used to call me National Bank of Chile.

02:24When I was earning $1,000 a month, why?

02:27Because I saved my salary, and then I'm giving loan to everyone.

02:32And less than two years, I make the savings for $19,000, I will never forget that.

02:38During the hard time, I was mapping the floor of that room, and I was crying, Lord, why

02:47the light is so high?

02:48Because I also have some credit at that time, I know I'm your daughter.

02:56Why you didn't bless me?

02:57I asked, I asked him, bless me.

03:00And that time, the Lord answered me.

03:04And I was asking, Lord, just give me $2,500 salary.

03:09At the same day, after the prayer, I asked my, I asked the owner of the salon, said,

03:15can I go for looking for another job because they wanted us to, you know, they want us

03:21to find another company.

03:23The same day, I got a job.

03:27And I hired for $2,300.

03:30And that's windows of heaven, and the Lord's showing me that I'm one of them.

03:37So I got hired, and I got chance to take the loan after that company, and then I opened

03:46a business.

03:49I'm very thankful because I met Mr. Douglas, 2018.

03:55When I met him, my life changed because he is making me happy in every aspect of my life.

04:04So while we are walking on the street, and we pass by in one restaurant, so it's motivating

04:11us to open the restaurant.

04:13I asked, why not opening the restaurant?

04:16And Douglas is having a YouTube channel, he's doing like crazy mukbang.

04:22You know, during COVID, there's a lot of people doing some vlogging, and mukbang is a trend.

04:29We have a huge line outside.

04:32And I was crying because I don't know where this customer came from.

04:37So the customer uploading it in the social media, they use mukbang word, and they use

04:43Korea.

04:45And we become very famous in Abu Dhabi.

04:50And we're very happy because we don't reach only Asian, we reach multinationality.

04:58We have locals waiting outside for two hours.

05:012022 that we open Muroor branch, we never expect that that will be the trending in Abu

05:07Dhabi, and we hit the market in Abu Dhabi.

05:12So we have friends that they know us from the beginning, and they are asking us, I want

05:19to invest in your company.

05:21January, when I checked the bank account, I said we are capable to open the third branch.

05:27So we're looking for the location and we found this location December 2022 at the same time.

05:35My advice to the entrepreneur who wants to own the restaurant, I think, get to know first

05:43what is your purpose.

05:45Also study the market, which kind of restaurant you want to put in, and how much the capital

05:51that you can.

05:53And don't be afraid to open.

05:56We should be a risk taker, but be careful.

06:00And when you earn the money, when the Lord bless you, you have to take care of this one

06:08with your heart.

06:10The digits can grow, but the attitude should be always down.

06:16That's all I guess.

06:17And be a channel of blessing.

06:22In these coming years, we will open four branches in Dubai, if God willing.

06:28And also we open franchising now.

06:31We want to conquer villages, because Korean restaurant, Korean food is really amazing.

06:38So I think this business, after five to ten years, will be the top Korean restaurant in

06:44all of this.

06:45When I came here, I really like the vibe, because it's all Korean.

06:50And you know, in the Philippines, Korea is very, very famous.

06:54I mean, Korean food, there are a lot of mukbangs and samgyups in the Philippines.

07:01It is all around the Philippines.

07:03And when I hear the news that it's finally here in Dubai, I'm so, so happy.

07:08And when I try the food, oh my God, it's very tasty.

07:11When I first tried, I first tried this kind of food here only in UAE.

07:17Immediately, I really like the taste.

07:19It's like, especially the beef and how they make the sauce.

07:25It's really, it's like something, it's really something different.

07:29It's really good also.

07:30So that's why I really like, we're always coming back here, because the food is really

07:36great.

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