There is no dearth of stories about people getting out of poverty and becoming successful. As a Filipino proverb puts it, poverty is no hindrance to success–especially if you have the sheer determination and perseverance to fulfil your dream.
That’s what Rogelio C. Canales–who is popularly known as Budoy–had accomplished. Coming from a small town in Bukidnon, he came to Davao City to undergo training. It was his first time to see tall buildings and was the first of his family to have experienced an escalator and elevator.
After graduating from a two-year-course on hotel and restaurant management, he decided to go back to the country’s biggest city to work. Fortunately, he was hired by the Marco Polo Hotel where he had his on-the-job training.
This was in 2006. He was employed as an on-call waiter of the hotel’s banquet bar. It was here that he learned the nitty-gritty of bartending. He worked so hard that the management took notice of him and appointed him at the bars and event trainer at the Lotus Court.
“I really have no idea about bartending, what I know is only about waitering,” Canales recalled. “When I was transferred to Lotus Court, it was there that I learned how to brew tea, coffee and fruit juices. If our guests ordered cocktails, we went to the lobby lounge or Eagles Bar.
“The reason was that we were not allowed to mix cocktails. Aside from that, we didn’t know how, and we didn’t have the ingredients,” he went on. “When the Lotus Court was renovated, the staff were distributed to other outlets, and I was assigned to the Pool Bar.”
Canales feared the new development. “I was afraid because I don’t have any knowledge about cocktails, mocktails, spirits and wine,” he admitted.
But what really frightened him the most was having conversation with foreign guests and visitors. “The Pool Bar is the hangout place for guests from other countries,” he said. “At that time, all I knew was to answer yes or no.”
Instead of being terrified, he decided to learn the basics of bartending. “I forced myself to study, research and attend seminars. I also asked for some techniques in the preparation of basic mixed drinks, spirits and wine from the legends and masters in the bartending industry,” he said.
As he learned more about bartending, Canales also gained some confidence in talking with the guests. Later, “I fell in love with what I was doing. In fact, I enjoy doing it.”
Looking back, he admitted: “Along the way, I learned the ways and means of the bartending industry. But most importantly, I developed my self-esteem and confidence. If in the past I had only two English words, I am now able to converse with foreigners although not really fluently but enough to talk with them and understand what they are telling me.”
But it was when Canales was assigned at the hotel’s Chinese Restaurant as officer-in-charge that he learned about Chinese cuisine and even knew how to cook some of the mouth-watering dishes.
Before Ferdinand Magellan “rediscovered” the Philippines on March 16, 1521, Chinese traders and settlers were already conducting business in the country. Based on 2013 data, there are around 1.15 million to 1.4 million Chinese in the country. They make up about 1.5 percent of the country’s population.
Chinese influence is found in plenty of Filipino food. Local staples like pansit, bihon, mami and taho have been influenced by Chinese. Tony Tan Caktiong, a Chinese-Filipino businessman, founded the Jollibee, the world’s most famous Filipino franchise.
So, it was not surprising that Marco Polo’s Chinese Restaurant was a hit among people who love Chinese food.
Even while working at the hotel, Canales started his own business. This was when he got married to Almarie Ajero. As the family was growing and the expenses were beyond his salary, he decided to focus on his business.
Since he was more at ease with bartending and knew so well on mixing drinks–he is, after all, the president of the Davao Chapter of the Bartenders Brotherhood Association of the Philippines–he launched Mixed Temptations Mobile Bar Davao in 2019. Its catch phrase is: “Tell me where the party is, and we will bring the bar.”
It was a hit. The mobile bar was going to various places in Davao Region and even in North Cotabato. It graced such events as birthdays, weddings, parties, conventions and meetings.
But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country in 2020, the business went into hiatus. The idea of moving from serving drinks to offering foods came into fruition. “I shifted to a restaurant because of the pandemic and the government banned alcoholic beverages.”
In addition, he didn’t want his people to lose their jobs. So, he contacted a chef who could help him realize his idea. On why he focused on Chinese food, he replied, “Chinese foods are my personal favorite.”
To make people aware of the restaurant’s existence, he started calling those people, whom he encountered during his hotelier days, who liked Chinese foods. One by one, they ordered. He personally delivered the food. Through word of mouth from these customers, more people came to know the existence of his restaurant. “It was a dream come true,” he said of the restaurant.
Mixed Temptation Chinese Restaurant offers a lot of Chinese food on its menu. Among the top five best-selling Chinese foods during the time of pandemic were: Peking duck, patatim, Hainanese chicken, dimsum and homemade tofu.
His customers were satisfied. “I’ve been to the Mixed Temptation Chinese Restaurant several times since the pandemic and tried almost all of them. Everything in the menu just tastes good,” said one customer.
Another hailed: “The customer service is excellent, and their food is also good and all the prices are affordable. It surely is a must-visit restaurant when you are in Davao and looking for good food.”
Another customer who came several times was Arturo Uy, former governor of Davao de Oro. At one time, he asked Canales if he was interested in opening a new branch in the northern part of the city. After all, the restaurant is a little bit secluded and far from those living on the other side of Davao.
Uy offered Canales a proposal he cannot turn down: that of a co-owner of the branch. So, in April 2021, a branch was opened in Lanang. As people started to go out, the restaurant was one of its destinations.
The restaurant is always packed with customers–especially during weekends. So much so that they thought of opening another branch. When they learned that the adjacent space was for rent, they decided to take it. And so, last October, the third branch was launched.
According to Canales, the main branch’s strength is its “take-out” orders as 80 percent of the sales comes from it. For those who want to dine in, the Lanang branches are the best places to be.
As drinking is now allowed, the mobile bar is also going full swing. “We are back in business,” he said of the mobile bar. “Our new tagline is: ‘Tell me where the party is, and we’ll bring the bar and the Chinese food.’”
On why he thinks his restaurants and mobile bars have become successful, Canales replied, “I believe if you follow your passion and dream, everything will happen in the right time,” he pointed out.
You can never put Canales down–no matter what the obstacles are. He is a man with sheer determination and is full of ideas. He is a perseverance incarnate.
“Don’t lose hope,” he said. “Never quit, choose a business that you love the most.”
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