Carlo Buenaflor, Chief Executive Officer, Bigg’s Diner
Nowadays, customers appreciate the additional services offered by restaurants aside from the impressive and unique taste of its culinary offerings.
The challenge for many local, home-grown businesses is not just competing with big fast food chains. There’s also the need to stand out to get recognized and be remembered. Innovation is a key factor.
Bigg’s Diner, a 34-year-old family-owned business established in Naga City in 1983, is one of the oldest local fast-casual restaurants in the country.
When Carlo Buenaflor, current chief executive officer of Bigg’s Diner took over the business in 2005, he realized the changing trend in the local restaurant industry. Customers were looking for a restaurant where they could hang out. What’s more, they wanted a place with good internet connection so they could be in constant touch with family and friends and post updates on social media.
With foodies taking their dining experiences—where they go, what meal they are having—and sharing them on various social media platforms, there was an immediate need for internet access.
With several branches already established in the Bicol region, Buenaflor saw the need to incorporate digital technology in their day-to-day operations.
With the help of the digital technology provided by Globe myBusiness, Bigg’s Diner was among the early restaurants that offered in free Wi-Fi internet to their customers. Thus, loyal patrons now had a new reason to hang out at Bigg’s Diner and enjoy its delicious burgers, fries and other offerings.
“We wanted to offer a superior dining experience like what you get from a fast food chain. And with a good internet connection, customers are able to share their meals on social media,” Buenaflor said.
In addition to this, Carlo also used chat apps to keep tabs on all branches of Bigg’s Diner, reducing the need to call all branches and check emails to get daily updates and to issue instructions.
Digital consolidation with Restograph
One of the most productive innovations Buenaflor applied in the operations of Bigg’s Diner, with the help of Globe myBusiness, was the use of Restograph. With this solution, the manual monitoring of their sales and status of inventory in all branches was digitized and became easier.
“All our transactions are linked to our sales inventory. Tracking our sales, stock levels and all our menu items are easier to monitor and in real-time,” Carlo said. “Best of all, we avoid food spoilage by knowing exactly which items are selling the most and what items we need to push more.”
Bigg’s Diner’s intends to consolidate its success with Globe myBusiness by establishing its own unique direct line for deliveries, bypassing area codes across the Bicol Region. By doing so Buenaflor hopes to establish Bigg’s Diner as the first restaurant chain in Bicol to streamline its delivery service.
According to Buenaflor, the restaurant’s partnership with Globe myBusiness is one of the best moves they have made in putting Bigg’s Diner on the right track and giving customers the dining experience they are looking for.
