After Dubai, Binalot plans to expand in Asia

MANILA, Philippines — After its initial foray into food franchising in Dubai, Binalot Fiesta Foods, Incorporated plans to expand in Asia, particularly in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

“Filipinos are everywhere, dominating the world’s care industry…We want to offer Filipino comfort food that our countrymen will enjoy while they work abroad,” Binalot president Rommel Juan said in a statement on Tuesday, February 2.

Buoyed by the success of its Dubai food franchise, Binalot said it is now actively seeking more foreign franchisees especially where there is a large Filipino community.

“We are looking at countries around the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia — and even in our other Asian neighbors such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan,” Juan said. (READ: ASEAN integration and better opportunities in PH)

Binalot, best known for its food items wrapped in banana leaves, has 34 branches nationwide in the Philippines.

Armed with a beefed-up menu and steady following, Binalot said it plans to increase its franchise-owned stores in the coming years.

“In the Philippines, our growth is generated by the increase of the call center or business process outsourcing industry, which is set to match or even exceed the overall revenues of OFW remittances by this year,” Juan said.

“For our foreign venture, we are ready to offer our food to the Filipinos abroad who are mostly professionals and do not have time to prepare their meals themselves. Binalot already has the systems and franchise support in place for foreign franchisees,” Juan added.

Established in 1996, Binalot operates using the quick-service restaurant business model and is based in Sun Valley Subdivision, Parañaque City with 94 employees, according to its website. – Rappler.com