MANILA, PHILIPPINES — In the summer of 2012, Abba Napa, Eliza Antonino, and Jon Syjuco teamed up to form The Moment Group (Manam), believing that Manila’s dining scene was “having a moment.” Backed by sound business sense and a keen understanding of the Filipino diner’s evolving tastes, they created and opened their first three restaurants within eight months of each other. Since then, Moment has gone on to build homegrown brands and enter into partnerships that have drawn lines, caught media attention, generated market demand, and prompted loyal patrons.
In its first decade in F&B, Moment has established 12 home-grown food brands, under which 50 doors have collectively been opened in and outside of Metro Manila. These include 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, Moment also owns, manages, and operates the Philippine franchise of the world-famous xiaolongbao brand, Din Tai Fung.
Continued expansion
The year 2022 brings Moment’s expansion rate to one restaurant every 56 days, with the company continuing to grow year on year, even amidst a global pandemic. Still, Moment’s founders believe it is a work in progress and in process, and always will be. “Every time we do something, we learn something new and find there is something more to do,” shared Moment Co-founder for Strategic Partnerships Jon Syjuco. “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.”
Earlier this year, Moment opened the country’s fifth and largest Din Tai Fung shop to date in the Mall of Asia (MOA), a 240-seater which serves its world-famous xiaolongbao and roster of globally renowned dishes, and which also offers a private dining experience that comes with its own exclusive menu of premium dishes and spirits.
Over the past six months, Mo’ Cookies, the group’s stalwart sweets brand, has also opened cookie kiosks in two new locations, Uptown Mall and Robinsons Magnolia, with an eighth kiosk on the way to a central location. In July, it reopened as a quick pick-me-upper stop shop at the Power Plant Mall, offering a new line of soft serve flavors in addition to its original bigger-than-your-palm cookies. “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,” expressed Jon.
In the next couple of months, Manam, the brand through which Moment champions Filipino cuisine, and which has become synonymous with Moment itself, is set to open in three new locations, with a spin-off brand in the works. This will bring the total number of Manam shops to 19, with more to come in 2023. As Moment ambitions to grow what it has achieved in its first 10 years on an exponential level, Jon shared that the group is carefully studying a number of opportunities.
“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,” he said. “This includes expansion in Metro Manila, in the provinces, and maybe even outside of the Philippines.”
Celebrating a decade of great food moments
Turning 10 would not have been possible without the diners who have been coming back to Moment’s shops over the years. “This November, particularly, we have a few treats up our sleeves as a way of saying thank you for your patronage,” said Moment Co-founder for Creative Development Abba Napa. “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.”
Moment’s 10th birthday treats include:
- 10% off on dine-in meals for non-Moment Cardholders for a minimum spend at Manam, 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.
Moment 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. It is set to launch the new momentfood app, which will be supported by its in-house delivery fleet MoGo, and which will offer exclusives for Moment Cardholders upon sign-up.
Apart from these special dine-in and delivery deals, Moment will also be 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, to deliver Project Nourish meals in the form of Manam Benta Boxes to its learning labs in Metro Manila. “It is a happy 10th birthday to us,” commented Abba. “But ‘thank you’ a million times over to you.”
What will the next 10 Moment Years bring?
Moment continues to break new ground, now with 10 years’ worth of experience, and more than a few hard-earned lessons, under its belt. “To be honest, when we first started, we didn’t set out to be where we are today,” expressed Moment Co-founder and Managing Partner Eliza Antonino. “But we discovered a niche for ourselves in the market, worked well together, and found people who worked well with us.”
From its beginnings as a group of five team members huddled in the co-founders’ living rooms, Moment’s support system has grown to over 2,000 team members delivering on its everyday mission of making people happy through the course of a mealtime. “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,” said Eliza. “Ultimately, we want them to head home proud of what they’ve done and with their heads held high.”
Celebrating a decade of great food moments goes hand in hand with keeping in mind everybody who has been a part of the journey, as well as the small and big wins that have brought the company to this milestone. “We are an accumulation of what everybody has done with us and for us,” remarked Jon. “And we are extremely proud of everybody on Team Moment who has given it their heart and soul.”
Meanwhile, for Abba, birthing, raising, and evolving food brands starts with putting the team in the right frame of mind to create inside the world of food. “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,” she said. “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.”
In further deepening its F&B footprint, Moment will continue to treat its brands like human beings, which are ever-changing and influenced by the many collaborations that take place within The Moment Group every single day. “When you bring people from different walks of life together, they bring with them a unique value that can only make the vision greater,” Abba furthered. “Each brand is ever-evolving with each season of The Moment Group teams leaving their imprint on it.”
As Moment’s shops across the metropolis prepare to welcome diners into its doors for its 10th-year celebrations, Abba believes the best is still to come for both the company and its dining community in the next 10 Moment Years and beyond. “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.”
