The Moment Group celebrates 10 Moment Years
- The Garlic Press
- Nov 12, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 15, 2022
With 10 delicious years and 13 food brands under its belt, The Moment Group believes the best is still to come.
When Abba Napa, Eliza Antonino, and Jon Syjuco teamed up to form The Moment Group in the summer of 2012, they (perhaps unknowingly) urged a casual dining revolution with their first three restaurants.
“To be honest, when we first started, we didn’t set out to be where we are today,” says Eliza Antonino, Moment’s co-founder and managing partner. “But we discovered a niche for ourselves in the market, worked well together, and found people who worked well with us.”
Growth Beyond Expectations
Backed by sound business sense and a keen understanding of the Filipino diner’s evolving tastes, the trio led The Moment Group to what it is today with 12 homegrown brands with over 50 branches in and around Metro Manila: Manam Comfort Filipino, 8Cuts Burgers, Ooma Bold Japanese, Mo’ Cookies, HuChi Southeast Eats, Shawa Wama, The Mess Hall, Moment Catering, Bank Bar, Mecha Uma, and the delivery-only Pancit Pancitan and Cuckoo Chicken. Apart from this, The Moment Group also owns, manages, and operates the Philippine franchise of the world-famous xiao long bao brand, Din Tai Fung.
The group has grown from their days of huddling in the co-founders’ living rooms to having more than 2,000 team members sharing their passion and dedication to make people happy one meal at a time.
In 2022, the group’s hard work made it possible to open one restaurant every 56 days even amidst a global pandemic. Still, Moment’s founders believe it is a work in progress and always will be.
“Every time we do something, we learn something new and find there is something more to do,” says Jon Syjuco, Moment’s co-founder for strategic partnerships. “The work is never going to be done because there’s always so much more we can try to do to fulfill our vision of being a leader in the category and in an industry such as F&B where there is always room for improvement.”
Opening multiple branches in one year, including the country’s fifth and largest Din Tai Fung to date at SM Mall of Asia (MOA) with 240 seats as well as two new kiosks for Mo’ Cookies, means always going back to the group’s “why”: the consumers.
“As the consumer grows and as the market acquires more experiences provided not only by ourselves but also by other players, we are challenged to continue to provide more and better experiences,” says Syjuco.
“When you bring people from different walks of life together, they bring with them a unique value that can only make the vision greater,” Napa shares. “Each brand is ever-evolving with each season of The Moment Group teams leaving their imprint on it.”
The group also plans to open more branches of Manam to add to its current total of 19 shops.
“We want to have more to offer whether these are from new brands, current brands, or spin-offs of those brands, in terms of both the creative development and operations sides,” Syjuco adds. “This includes expansion in Metro Manila, in the provinces, and maybe even outside of the Philippines.”
Celebrating a Decade of Delicious Moments
“This November, particularly, we have a few treats up our sleeves as a way of saying thank you for your patronage. If you happen to find yourself in front of our doors again this month, we invite you to come on in and discover what those treats are, says Abba Napa, Moment’s co-founder for creative development.
The Moment Group’s 10th birthday treats include:
10% off on dine-in meals for non-Moment Cardholders for a minimum spend at Maman, 8Cuts, Ooma, Din Tai Fung, Mo’ Cookies, Huchi, and The Mess Hall from November 10 to 16, 2022. Upon availing of this promo, diners will also be gifted an additional Moment passport full of treats from more of Moments brands, including Pancit Pancitan, Bank Bar, and Moment Catering, valid from November 2022 to June 2023.
Special tiered-up deals on dine-in meals for Moment Cardholders, valid from November 10 to 16, 2022.
10% off on delivery orders made through foodpanda (no minimum spend required), valid until November 30, 2022.
20% off on dine-in meals for BPI Cardholders for a minimum spend at Manam, 8Cuts, Ooma, Din Tai Fung, Mo’ Cookies, Huchi, and The Mess Hall, valid Mondays to Wednesdays, this November.
What’s Next for Moment?
The Moment Group continues to develop its out-of-shop experience for its loyal patrons, fully embracing its vision of being “where you want to eat,” anytime and anywhere by launching their very own momentfood app, which will be supported by its in-house delivery fleet MoGo with exclusive treats for Moment Cardholders upon sign-up.
Apart from these special dine-in and delivery deals, Moment also plans to give back to the community - sharing its love for nourishing others by partnering with MovEd, a 10-year-old non-profit organization focused on bringing quality early childhood education to underserved communities. The partnership aims to deliver Project Nourish meals in the form of Manam Benta Boxes to its learning labs within Metro Manila.
“It is a happy 10th birthday to us,” says Napa. “But ‘thank you’ a million times over to you.”
Aside from keeping their customers happy, they also want to make sure they take care of the heart of their operations: the staff.
“We want to make sure that each and every person on Team Moment loves what they do and is prepared to face our everyday challenges,” says Antonino. “Ultimately, we want them to head home proud of what they’ve done and with their heads held high.”
Syjuco adds, “We are an accumulation of what everybody has done with us and for us. And we are extremely proud of everybody on Team Moment who has given it their heart and soul.”
Napa remains to be grateful for being in the industry, no matter its challenges. “The special thing about F&B is that it is a field that allows you to make a living out of making people happy, which is a driving force inside of Moment. The first thing we think about is not the bottom line. It’s more a question of whether we can give people happiness through what we create and ensure this created value is worthy of their tummy & wallet space, not just today but also tomorrow.”
As Moment’s shops across the metropolis prepare to welcome diners into its doors for its 10th-year celebrations, Napa believes the best is still to come for both the company and its dining community.
“I look forward to what we will be creating tomorrow. We are inspired to feed and nourish more and more Filipino diners, slowly but surely, throughout the country. And I embrace the fact that we will do it collaboratively and that we will do it to be better than yesterday — and whatever that ‘better’ becomes, I hope the Filipino diner appreciates it and embraces it in the way they have embraced what we have created for them thus far.”
For more information about The Moment Group, visit www.momentgroup.ph.
Photos courtesy of The Moment Group. Minor revisions from the Group's primer were made for brevity.
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