Food Service Done Right: The SAP Business One Success Story of Penong’s Barbecue Seafood and Grill

SAP Business One is a well-known enterprise resource planning (ERP) software suite that is being used in many industries. But one of its key sectors is the restaurant and food service industry, a notoriously fast-moving and competitive one in the Philippines. With so many establishments vying for customers, what exactly will set a restaurant apart from its competitors? What factors into a Filipino diner’s choice to patronize one establishment over the other?

The perfect formula for most restaurants is delicious food, value for money, and excellent service. Without these qualities, it’s hard to find a place in the industry. But among the three, it’s often food service that’s the most challenging to maintain. Even just a few mistakes in the purchasing experience can discourage a diner from returning to a particular restaurant.

Penong’s Franchise Corporation, the parent company of Davao-based Penong’s Barbecue Seafood and Grill, realized that challenge for themselves. To improve their odds in the sector, the company invested in SAP Business One and had it implemented by ANSI. Here’s a briefer on their success story, which was the subject of a video feature by ANSI last July 2019.

Seeking the Best Customer Experience for the Best Pinoy Barbecue

Penong’s Barbecue Seafood and Grill is a mainstay of the Davaoeño food scene. Since opening its first branch in 2003, it has since expanded to include more than 30 branches all over the Philippines. Outside of Davao City, key locations include Tagum City, Zamboanga City, Koronadal City, and General Santos City. Bestsellers on its menu include the chicken barbecue, pork barbecue, pinakbet, and kinilaw.

The home of “a full-service restaurant known for its chicken barbecue, seafoods, and other Filipino dishes,” VP for Operations Henry Mahilum introduced Penong’s Franchise Corporation as “a franchising organization where we find business partners to grow with us.”

The business partnership with ANSI to set up an ERP system came at a critical time for Penong’s—right when they experienced a growth spurt. “As our franchise source grew bigger each year, we weren’t able to handle all our order transactions and business reports,” Penong’s Chief Financial Officer Vanessa Santos shared. “The challenge that we encountered before is the manual transaction of our SLT, from purchase order from the stores to the issuance of delivery receipts, invoice, etc. This took so much time and effort that we cannot achieve the exact delivery dates of the orders.”

To upgrade the staff’s capacity to accommodate and fulfill orders, Penong’s explored a new software solution. And to put it simply, it was a good match.

“We decided to have an ERP system that will make the process much easier,” Santos added. “ANSI, our partner, introduced us to SAP Business One. SAP Business One suits our business model and processes. Now we can generate data analysis and reports more reliably.”

On Track with Growth and Expansion Goals Thanks to SAP Business One

The results that SAP Business One delivered for Penong’s can speak for themselves. “In 2018,” said Mahilum, “we grew our sales by 30% versus 2017.” It is an important milestone for the Davaoeño brand, given that they have many local competitors for affordable barbecue meals with unlimited rice.

All the same, the leadership of Penong’s has committed to doing even better in the next few years. “Penong’s overall goal is to sustain and maintain the standard and values upon which the company was founded,” said Santos. “In the next three years, it is our goal to open more than 100 stores, not just in the country but internationally, with the hope that Penong’s will be an avenue to keeping families together.”

Mahilum is optimistic about the company’s prospects so far, thanks to SAP Business One and ANSI. “I can say that Penong’s started slow,” he said, “but it is now ready to perform at par with top competitors.”

Trust ANSI for Your Food Business ERP Solutions

Penong’s Barbecue Seafood and Grill is just one among many success stories—and counting—that have come out of partnering with ANSI. Our food business clients choose us to implement SAP Business One for them because we understand their goals as well as the industry.

If you’re looking for an ERP solution as well as a trustworthy and knowledgeable vendor, contact ANSI now. We’ll be happy to introduce you to the different software modules of SAP Business One. With us, you’ll learn about how SAP Business One can improve your operations and make your food business expansion-ready.