Cover Eric Thomas Dee, the restaurateur that adapts to the changing environment by introducing technological innovations
Eric Thomas Dee, the restaurateur that adapts to the changing environment by introducing technological innovations
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Tatler Asia’s Most Influential 2022 honouree Eric Thomas Dee delves into his journey in the food industry
In a time of regression, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, no one would have been able to start a business. Because of the numerous lockdowns and community quarantines that took a toll on the nation’s food and beverage industry, restaurants closed permanently and others had to rethink their marketing strategies. But Eric Thomas Dee did the opposite: establishing Kraver’s Canteen, a pioneering cloud kitchen.
“Kravers Canteen is [currently] the fastest growing cloud kitchen in the Philippines,” Dee says. “It was a business born out of the pandemic and continues to thrive today with 13 kitchens throughout Metro Manila and Pampanga.”
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The restaurateur is also the chief operating officer of one of Manila’s top food and beverage group, Foodee Global Concepts, and manages the Mesa Restaurant, Pound, Flatterie, Sunnies Cafe, Bench Cafe, Llao Llao, and Todd English Food Hall, among others. Below, he answers a few of Tatler’s questions on his journey towards success in the food industry.
Above Eric Thomas Dee
Eric Thomas Dee
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What projects in the last two years are you most proud of? Why?
Eric Thomas Dee (ED): Kraver’s Canteen is the fastest-growing cloud kitchen in the Philippines, a business born out of the pandemic and is striving until today, with 13 kitchens around Metro Manila and Pampanga. Kraverse FoodHall is also the country’s first meta-virtual food hall of its kind, with unique offerings in self-heating containers for a customer experience like no other.
On the other hand, Hawker Chan is now for franchising, which has helped increase our store count, expanding towards Baguio, Sorsogon, and Legaspi. Llaollao is also expanding its store count via franchising with our race to our 50th store, while Keepers Bar in Poblacion is the country’s first NFT blockchain-enabled restaurant concept.
Read also: Meet the minds behind Kraver’s Canteen Cloud Kitchen
What challenges do you see now in your respective industry? How do you intend to help address these challenges?
ED: With inflation happening, prices are significantly increasing and the value proposition as a restaurant reduces when prices go up. We intend to do a customer-centric approach that gives the value proposition of service to the customer. We also aim to create smart systems, providing analytics on our customers for us to serve them better.
What can you say to those who want to follow in your footsteps?
ED: Think outside the box and do things that have never been done before. But remember, execution is the key.
What are your plans for the coming years, and what keeps you going?
ED: We see light at the end of the tunnel. The pandemic is over, so we are looking for ways to grow the business to pre-pandemic and beyond.
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