Opening three successful restaurant concepts and six branches in five years is no easy feat, given the extremely competitive dining scene in the Philippines and the disruptive impact of the pandemic. Despite these challenges, Amado Forés' businesses not only survived but are now thriving.
Featured for the first time in an extensive interview with Esquire Philippines, the restaurateur talks about his journey and how he is shaping his distinct path in the restaurant industry.
Featured for the first time in an extensive interview with Esquire Philippines, the restaurateur talks about his journey and how he is shaping his distinct path in the restaurant industry.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Honestly, I didn't feel pressured,
00:02but I wanted to carve my own way.
00:05Really, I think her influence is still there.
00:17I think it really started with growing up
00:19with my family's love for eating well.
00:21I interned in a restaurant in New York,
00:23which really made me love the industry a lot.
00:25And lastly, I do travel regularly with my family,
00:28my mom specifically,
00:29and there's this one trip where we really researched
00:33on sort of like the signature regional dishes of Italy.
00:36And I really fell in love with trying to find
00:39the best version of each dish.
00:40And I think that's what really prompted me to make Amano,
00:43which is a fresh and faithful Italian restaurant.
00:45I thought of other paths, actually,
00:48rather than hospitality,
00:50but I think the pull of seeing happy faces
00:54from all the guests of my mom, of my uncles,
00:58and all their restaurants sort of really pulled me in
01:01and made me want to consider that path as well,
01:04but doing it my own way.
01:10Amano, actually, probably is five years old now.
01:14I consider it a fresh and faithful Italian restaurant.
01:16Whereas we are anchored by tradition of Italy,
01:20we try to find tiny tweaks
01:23to still make it the best version of it.
01:25It's actually a ever-evolving thing for us
01:28that we keep trying to make our own best version
01:30or what we consider our version of a traditional dish.
01:34After Amano, we opened Ramen Run,
01:37which is a, actually, it used to be Ukokei Ramen Run,
01:41which is a restaurant in Pasay Road.
01:43They had this really famous Tantan man,
01:45and he was considered sort of the pioneer
01:47of ramen here in the country.
01:49During the pandemic, he wanted to go back to Japan.
01:52We actually just tried to really convince him
01:54that the home was still here for him.
01:56And what was so nice is that he trusted us with his brand
02:00to not change the things that mattered to him,
02:02but also to bring it to a next level.
02:04Steak and fries is not your traditional steakhouse.
02:07It's, we serve steak with French fries,
02:10but also with steak rice,
02:12because as we all know, we're here in the Philippines,
02:15and everything's just better with rice.
02:18We opened it in December of last year,
02:21and it's been doing quite well, and I'm proud of it.
02:27In terms of opportunities for Filipino hospitality brands,
02:31I've noticed that a lot of international brands
02:33are coming in more and more,
02:35and I'm hoping that in the next five to 10 years,
02:37the opposite happens in the sense that
02:39homegrown Filipino brands expand and go to other countries.
02:43It's because I think our level of hospitality here,
02:46our unique Filipino hospitality,
02:49is able to shine even more so when abroad.
02:57You really have to make and learn from your mistakes,
03:00make mistakes, and also learn from them
03:02to be consistently working towards your goals.
03:05It's something that I've only been able to say now
03:08because it's been five years,
03:10but I think always learning from the mistakes
03:13and trying to find ways to improve
03:15and to prevent them from happening again.
03:21In terms of handling criticism,
03:24I think it's really treating it firstly as feedback
03:27and that they mean well for you.
03:29As a team, hear, and then listen,
03:31and then learn from it, and then respond, most importantly.
03:34Especially with your response, it really has to be immediate,
03:38but more importantly, it's also finding ways
03:40to show them that you have long-term solutions,
03:44and lastly, ways also to prevent it from happening again.
03:49Her influence is really more than specific things that she did.
03:55It was more the consistency that it's been more than 25 years,
04:00and she treats people the same way,
04:04she treats her customers the same way,
04:07and her work ethic is the same as when she started.
04:10Honestly, I didn't feel pressured,
04:13but I wanted to carve my own way.
04:15But I wanted to carve my own way.
04:17That's why Amano proudly is, I would say,
04:22was very different from what Italian restaurant she started.
04:26Of course, the rules of Italian food are the same,
04:29but I really tried to make it as different as a concept.
04:32But I think all the things that I learned and heard from her,
04:37just being in her periphery,
04:40is quite obvious in the restaurant.
04:43So as much as I want to say that I did my own way,
04:48really, I think her influence is still there.
04:56I think quite a few.
04:58Chef Jordi Navarro of Toyo Eatery, most especially,
05:01because he champions Filipino ingredients,
05:04and I think that really is something admirable,
05:08and I'd like to think that I try to apply that in all my concepts,
05:12whether Filipino or not.
05:13So aside from Jordi, I really admire the Moment group,
05:16most especially Eli Antonino and Abba Napa,
05:20most especially because of the way that they're able to
05:23grow their restaurant group
05:26in a way where their quality still remains.
05:31They really make an impact with the food culture here in the country.
05:35And lastly, my uncle, Oya Forres,
05:39cousin Raul and Tita Malu Forres of Mamu,
05:43with the way they've also grown their restaurant group
05:47and still maintaining their heart and soul,
05:50and also their restaurant food standards
05:53are still as delicious as it was when it first opened.
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