On-the-go pasta

Sharlene Tan, owner and manager of Goodles, shares how she and her partners conceptualized their pasta bar.

 

Why did you choose to open a pasta bar?

My partners and I decided on creating a pasta bar because of several reasons. Everyone loves noodles. Pasta is healthy (It’s a complex carbohydrate that’s good for the body) and also very filling. There are so many things you can do with pasta. And it’s an entirely new concept!

How did you conceptualize the menu?

To make our brand stand out, I made sure that Goodles wouldn’t be serving the same kind of pasta that people can already get anywhere like carbonara, bolognese, arrabiata, fettucine alfredo. To give customers the best experience, we also use the freshest and best ingredients and everything is made from scratch in our kitchen—our tomato sauces, cream sauces, even our iced tea! We really want our taste to be distinct, to make sure they can only get it when they come to our store. We spend a lot of time in the kitchen, experimenting on different flavors, tweaking our recipes. I am so thankful for my hardworking kitchen team and friends who were willing to do food tasting over and over again.

Is it fun to work inside a mall? Businesswise, what are the benefits?

There are advantages and disadvantages to working inside a shopping mall. It’s fun because you can do other things while you watch over your business like run errands, shop for emergency birthday gifts, or watch a movie. You also have guaranteed customers because of the foot traffic the mall generates. However, being inside a mall also means being subjected to rules and regulations like staying open until midnight during mall sales or over the holidays, which is very taxing. You also can’t decide on your own and do what you want because there are rules, permits, and processes to everything.

Would you recommend a mall spot?

I think the decision of opening inside a mall or not would depend first on your concept. Some concepts work better inside a mall, while some can also work if you put it some place else as a stand-alone store. One thing about setting up your store in a mall is that you’re limited to the mall’s operating schedule. So if you’re serving breakfast food for example, then you’re better off someplace else. You also have to check the demographics of the mallgoers. Each mall has a different target market so make sure it matches yours!

What do you think are three most crucial qualities of being a food entrepreneur?

1. Patience. Starting a business really involves a lot of hard work, especially in my case, where Goodles is both a new brand and concept. You have to be patient with how the business evolves and not expect that things will run smooth after a few days. Going into business involves dealing with a lot of people—suppliers, staff, customers, and you need to be patient with all their requests and concerns.

2. Passion. Before starting anything, I believe one must set goals and have the passion and determination to pursue it. The business environment is a very tough one and the food industry in particular is very competitive. I believe those who succeed are the ones who have great faith in themselves and are so passionate about their concept and brand that they are determined to do everything to make it work.

3. Creativity. The food industry is already very crowded. Almost everything you can think of is already in the market. We know pasta is served almost everywhere so to sell a similar product, our company had to think of a creative way to introduce our brand into the market. We did so by introducing new and creative dishes and through our unique packaging.

Who is your idol when it comes to cooking pasta dishes?

Mario Batali and Ursula Ferrigno. I admire Batali for what he has achieved. His story is so inspiring, especially for a food entrepreneur like me. Ferrigno comes out with the best books, especially on Italian cuisine. She uses a lot of fresh ingredients and makes extraordinary dishes out of the simplest ingredients. Her pasta recipes push me to be more creative!

What’s your number one rule for cooking good, solid pasta?

Use a really good brand of pasta and have more than enough boiling water for cooking the pasta. A lot of people wonder why their pasta sticks together while cooking or why they either get undercooked or overcooked pasta. It’s because there are many things you should take note of while cooking pasta to make sure it comes out perfectly. It sounds difficult because it’s actually a very technical process but once you get the hang of it, it’s going to be so easy, I promise! The first week of training for my crew involved a lot of pasta cooking to make sure that they always serve al dente pasta in the store. I am proud to say that from that time on, they have already mastered it and so can you.

Tell us about a recipe you are working on now for Goodles.

Right now, we’re working on some new combinations to add to our lineup. Just to give you an idea: an adobo pasta, a sisig pasta, and something with longganisa!

Photography by At Maculangan | Interview by Becky Kho | Hair & Makeup by Benjie Angeles | Goodles is at 4/F Robinsons Galleria, Quezon City (tel. no.: 986-8838; mobile no.: 0922-8737758; email: goodlesgoodles@yahoo.com).

• Madel Martin Mar 24 2010 @ 01:49pm Report Abuse

     

  Wow! This is new. I want to try it.
• joan Mar 21 2010 @ 09:27am Report Abuse

     

  good business idea...i love pasta
• Mavs Mar 16 2010 @ 03:04pm Report Abuse

     

  I hope that they have more branches in malls. I love pasta.
• John Mar 10 2010 @ 07:49am Report Abuse

     

  Pasta isn't a complex carbohydrate unless it is made with wheat flour. Most pastas here are made using all purpose flour which is low in protein and therefore not complex at all.
• Ajie Hernandez Mar 03 2010 @ 01:11am Report Abuse

     

  Is this business ready for franchising, how much?