Sigrid Sayos, owner of Lime & Basil, illuminates the benefits and challenges of operating destination restaurants outside of Metro Manila.
After countless gruelling lockdowns, repeated easing and reinforcement of restrictions, and continued travel constraints, local tourism has become increasingly invaluable. For those of us who can’t commit to extended trips away from the city, destination restaurants located right outside the metro serve as gastronomic havens, nursing our salivating palates and worried minds. But what happens to these restaurants when guests can’t leave their homes? How do they manage, and how do they adapt?
With two branches in Cavite (one in Alfonso, one in Tagaytay) and a third to follow, no one is more familiar with this predicament than Sigrid Sayos, owner of Thai restaurant Lime & Basil. In this interview, Sigrid discusses the nuances that come with running such a destination restaurant: the advantages of being a welcome, spacious reprieve for busy urban dwellers; and the harsh realities of sustaining a business away from the city. Moreover, Sigrid demonstrates the power of quick-thinking and innovation, highlighting their unique selling points and even opening a new flower shop, Studio Morii, inspired by growing market trends and newfound hobbies.
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How did the pandemic affect and change the way you run the restaurant from service to menu and food? What changes are here to stay?
Of course, we strictly follow the protocols - our biggest challenge has to be the restrictions with children. Most of our guests are families, who often have young children with them. Even though we’d love to welcome them into our restaurant, we have to refuse. That’s been really difficult.
We’ve also had to pivot and adapt quite frequently, whether due to dangers posed by the Taal situation or to cater to the changing dining preferences of our market. We’ve introduced an all-day breakfast menu to better cater to the morning crowd, as well as more vegan and vegetarian options to accommodate the growing segment of diners with healthier eating habits. We also added some cosier touches to our alfresco area to make this space more inviting.
Both Lime and Basil branches are located outside Metro Manila - one in Tagaytay and one in Alfonso. What opportunities and/or challenges have you encountered that are unique to this experience?
The lockdown period was hands down the hardest. However, as restrictions eased, guests flocked in - city-dwellers from Manila are seeking out less-crowded places. They’re hunting destination restaurants. We’ve even had the pleasure of hosting some small, intimate weddings.
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