BlendPH Seals Agreement With New Franchise Partner, Tori Takoyaki Takes Asian street food to the next level.

BlendPH, a pioneer in peer-to-peer lending industry, recently signed a partnership agreement with Shynen Food Products Trading, better known for its Tori Takoyaki product line. Both companies exemplify a story of growth and resilience.

The Tori Takoyaki business started in 2018. From a small food cart that offered affordable but deliciously made takoyaki, it grew in a span of three years. The first branch was located in Jordan Plains Subdivision, Quezon City. This first branch came to a standstill when it had to give way to a Quezon City road widening. Nonetheless, the company can certainly attest to the adage that when one door closes, another one opens. The company moved to Deparo, Caloocan, and that was where sales soared.

By February 2021, Tori Takoyaki was ready for franchising.  Today, the company has 35 branches, and still counting, nationwide.

The company offers an easy-to-operate business that does not require royalty fee. Upon settling the initial franchise fee, the new business owner will get initial food stocks; location assistance and approval; use of the company trade name and logo; marketing support; costing and inventory system; and operations training. New business owners will also get a notarized Franchise Agreement.

Before a franchisee acquires rights to open a small franchise business like a takoyaki food cart, and be provided training & support services by the franchisor, a sizable financial investment is needed. Tori Takoyaki offers franchise options that are easy on the pocket, especially with some help from partner BlendPH. The peer-to-peer funding platform has been helping small entrepreneurs start their dream businesses. The P2P lending site can help interested individuals get qualified for a franchise loan or personal loan. As BlendPH states, “We are here to make sure that pursuing and funding `the dream’ is made easier for Pinoys…”

The takoyaki business boom

The mere sight of takoyaki balls with one’s favorite fillings, such as octo bits, with sauce and bento flakes, can translate to foodie bliss. Hands down, takoyaki is one of the best and most affordable comfort foods. It is like traversing food rows in an Asian country, where mouth-watering treats abound.

For the uninitiated, takoyaki is a popular  Japanese-inspired street food consisting of batter that is filled with ingredients including onions, octopus, or cheese, veggies, and bacon, then fried and served with mayonnaise, plus fish shavings and drizzled with takoyaki sauce. For these people who maintain a distant curiosity with takoyaki food kiosks or carts now dotting metropolitan intersections in the Philippines, it is high time you indulge your tastebuds.

Textures of soft and crisp delightfully merge with sweet and savory, so takoyakis with authentic taste hit the spot and are bound to be devoured with glee.  Real-life accounts and testimonials prove that Pinoys’ taste preferences readily lean towards Japanese food such as takoyaki, which is conveniently sold in many neighborhoods and public establishments in the Philippines.

In his book, “The Food Truck Handbook: Start, Grow, and Succeed in the Mobile Food Business,” entrepreneur and food truck advocate David Weber stated that a food truck will “typically do about 20 to 40 percent of the sales of a similarly placed brick-and-mortar business.” The concept has generated even greater interest during the pandemic. The economic downswing has made the low start-up costs of operating a food cart very tempting.

In New York, as mentioned in the book, immigrants ran much of the mobile food scene in the 1930s and by the 2000s, many high-end chefs used food trucks to practice their skills, and so gourmet food trucks sprouted. Even other US states, like Portland, Oregon experienced an explosive expansion of street food operators from 2006 to 2011. “Customers appreciate the value and quality of mobile food and will continue to embrace the industry so long as operators deliver clean, tasty and interesting products at a fair price.” This situation also applies elsewhere in the world, including the Philippines.

The Philippine food franchise scene

In the country, determined small franchise operators continue to rise in number, undeterred even by the pandemic. Most of them excel in customer service, one of the most important things that keep small business owners from falling by the wayside within the first few years of starting their ventures. Ensuring that food sanitation is maintained, and providing strategic pricing are likewise crucial.

For most other work-from-home food operators or neighborhood food cart pods, creating a sense of community also pays off. Beyond the pleasure of partaking of a good-tasting meal purchased at a low price. supporting local innovation, culinary exploration and entrepreneurial economic activity can be felt from eating at (or ordering from) the carts. Everyone gets to enjoy, even for a few minutes, the feeling of being part of a larger community.

Tori Takoyaki stalls have sparked much interest, not only for their usual menu fare – regular-sized takoyaki sets dubbed as “happiness in a cup” for as low as 35 pesos each– but also for their takoyaki feast box. Delicious flavors include squid bites and ham & cheese, and customers can mix them up.

It can be noted that Japan’s gastronomic delights, including street food, has a distinct interplay of flavors springing from seasonal ingredients coming from the land, carefully prepared with unique cooking and serving methods, immensely enjoyed by locals and visitors. A taste of that experience is presented by Tori Takoyaki.

The company’s vision is “Connecting with friends and family, one takoyaki at a time.” Enjoying good eats with family, friends or colleagues, crisis or not, has long been part of many Filipinos’ habits. The entrepreneurs behind Tori Takoyaki stay committed to serving “quality, freshly prepared, and affordable takoyaki for all,” and lots of people give the thumbs-up to that. For further information about the product offerings and franchise business, visit the Tori Takoyaki Deparo – Main official Facebook page.