Potato Corner

Last updated

Potato Corner
Potato Corner Logo 2023.png
Current logo since 2023
Product type French fries outlet chain
OwnerShakey's Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. (SPAVI)
Country Philippines
Introduced1992;32 years ago (1992) [1]
MarketsSoutheast Asia, Middle East, East Asia, Oceania, North America, Europe

Potato Corner is a global Philippine food franchise known for its flavored French fries. Potato Corner's first stall opened up in SM Megamall on October 16, 1992 in the Philippines under Cinco Corporation. [2] As of 2022, Potato Corner is present in 19 countries globally which include the Philippines, Indonesia, the United States, Panama, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Kuwait, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates and China. [1]

Contents

History

A Potato Corner outlet at Robinsons Galleria Cebu Potato Corner at Robinsons Galleria Cebu (02-24-2023).jpg
A Potato Corner outlet at Robinsons Galleria Cebu

Potato Corner was founded by Jose Magsaysay Jr., Ricky Montelibano, Danny Bermejo and George Wieneke in 1992. Montelibano is Magsaysay's brother-in-law and was the first to introduce flavored popcorn to the Philippines. Although he had been working for a local Wendy's for nine years, Magsaysay needed to support his family and came up with the idea of flavored fries, based on Montelibano's business. They had to borrow money to raise the starting financial capital of ₱150,000 (US$6,000). Magsaysay left his management job at Wendy's and the first Potato Corner, a cart in Mandaluyong, opened in October 1992. Within thirty days, all of them were able to pay back their loans. [3] [4]

Former logo used until 2023, but still used in their packaging. POTATO-CORNER LOGO VECTOR 2019 REGISTERED-1-300x94.png
Former logo used until 2023, but still used in their packaging.

After their initial success, they began to consider expanding through franchises. Magsaysay knew only the basics of franchising from his job at Wendy's and at the time it was a novel idea in the Philippines. As such, their first franchisee agreements were largely informal and their first franchisee signed a document they copied from online. The group raised funds for their expansion and quickly became large in the local market. [3]

In 2006, Potato Corner opened its first international store in Indonesia. [5] This was followed by Potato Corner's first entry in the United States in February 2010 and first store in the United States in 2012. [5] In April 2017, Potato Corner opened its first Hong Kong franchise in Tsim Sha Tsui. [6]

In 2021, Shakey's Pizza Asia Ventures Inc., the Philippine franchise of Shakey's Pizza, acquired Potato Corner; [7] the acquisition deal was completed in 2022. [8] [9] As of 2022, Potato Corner has more than 1,100 stores in the Philippines, with international operations in Indonesia, the United States, Panama, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam, Kuwait, Malaysia, Canada, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. In late 2022, the franchise expanded to the United Kingdom opening the first outlet in London. The franchise also expanded to New Zealand opening its first outlet in Auckland and in the United Arab Emirates opening their first outlet store in Ibn Battuta Mall. [5]

Awards and recognition

Potato Corner garnered a number of accolades through the years. Potato Corner bagged the Best Franchisee of the Year for three consecutive years from PFA and DTI. Awarded by the same organizations, Potato Corner also received the Franchisee Excellence Hall of Fame Award in 2003 and the Global Filipino Franchise Award in 2017. [10]

Marketing and advertising

Mascot

Potato Corner's official mascot, Poco (formerly Spudster), was introduced by the brand in 2009, and can be seen in all of its stores and buckets. Spudster received a Master License for Los Angeles County in 2009. [11]

Criticisms and controversies

In August 2023, Potato Corner Philippines received online backlash bulbol when a job posting deemed to be discriminatory went viral on social media, garnering criticism and calls to boycott their products. [12] [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizza Hut</span> American multinational restaurant chain

Pizza Hut, LLC is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. The chain, headquartered in Plano, Texas, operates 19,866 restaurants worldwide as of 2023.

7-Eleven, Inc. is an American convenience store chain, headquartered in Irving, Texas and owned by Japanese company Seven & I Holdings through Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. After Ito-Yokado, a Japanese supermarket chain and the parent company of Seven-Eleven Japan, acquired a 70% stake in the company in 1991, the company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seven-Eleven Japan in November, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jollibee</span> Filipino fast food restaurant chain

Jollibee is a Filipino chain of fast food restaurants owned by Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC). As of September 2023, there were over 1,500 Jollibee outlets worldwide, with restaurants in Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Middle East, North America, and Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domino's</span> American multinational pizza restaurant chain

Domino's Pizza, Inc., commonly referred to as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960. and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware-domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor Township, near Ann Arbor, Michigan. As of 2018, Domino's had approximately 15,000 stores, with 5,649 in the United States, 1,500 in India, and 1,249 in the United Kingdom. Domino's has stores in over 83 countries and 5,701 cities worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakey's Pizza</span> Pizzeria restaurant chain based in the United States

Shakey's Pizza is a pizza restaurant chain based in the United States and The Philippines. Founded in 1954, it was the first franchise pizza chain in the United States. In 1968, the chain had 342 locations. The chain had about 500 stores globally, and 58 in the United States, as of July 2019. Currently, the stores can be found in the states of California and Washington, as well as in the Philippines, Singapore and Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Tan Caktiong</span> Filipino entrepreneur (born 1953)

Tony Tan Caktiong, is a Filipino businessman and investor. He is the founder and chairman of Jollibee Foods Corporation, and the co-chairman of DoubleDragon Properties. Forbes listed him as the fifth richest person in the Philippines in 2023, with the estimated net worth of USD$3.2 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happy Joe's</span> Pizza chain in the United States

Happy Joe's is an American pizza parlor chain based in Bettendorf, Iowa. The restaurant chain was founded in 1972 by Lawrence Joseph "Happy Joe" Whitty, a former Shakey's Pizza manager. Their United States locations are spread out across the Upper Midwest and Florida, with a location in Egypt, which opened in October 2022. In 2022, Happy Joe's has declared an intent over 10 years to open at least 25 locations across the Middle East and North Africa, including in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. The idea for Happy Joe's came from a combination of a pizza parlor and ice cream palace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Caesars</span> American multinational pizza chain based in Detroit

Little Caesar Enterprises Inc. is an American multinational chain of pizza restaurants that was founded in 1959. Little Caesars is the third largest pizza chain by total sales in the United States behind Pizza Hut and Domino's. It operates and franchises pizza restaurants in the United States and internationally in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The company is owned by Ilitch Holdings, and headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FamilyMart</span> Japanese convenience store chain

The FamilyMart Company, Ltd. is a Japanese convenience store franchise chain. It is Japan's second largest convenience store chain, behind Seven-Eleven Japan. There are now 24,574 stores worldwide in Japan, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Its headquarters is on the 17th floor of the Sunshine 60 building in Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo. There were some stores in Japan with the name Circle K Sunkus under the operation of FamilyMart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Premier Volleyball League</span> Womens volleyball league in the Philippines

The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is the top-level women's professional volleyball league in the Philippines organized by Sports Vision Management Group, Inc. The league began in 2004 as the Shakey's V-League (SVL), a women's collegiate league. In 2017, the league was rebranded into the Premier Volleyball League. From 2017 to 2020, the league was open to participation of corporate clubs and other non-collegiate teams. The league status turned professional in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AmRest</span> European restaurant operator

AmRest is a European multinational casual dining, fast-food restaurant and coffee shop operator headquartered in the Spanish capital, Madrid . The company runs more than 2300 locations, mostly franchises of KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks, and also Burger King until 2022, but also operates its own brands of restaurants. Apart from Spain, AmRest operates in Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow Cab Pizza</span> Pizza restaurant chain based in the Philippines

Yellow Cab Pizza Co. is a pizza restaurant chain based in the Philippines, founded in April 2001 by Eric Puno, Henry Lee and Albert Tan. Yellow Cab Pizza is currently owned by Max's Group, which also owns the local fried chicken chain Max's Restaurant. Yellow Cab Pizza currently operates 159 branches in the Philippines and numbers in overseas, including branches in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Oman and the United States.

Jollibee Foods Corporation is a Filipino multinational company based in Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines. JFC is the owner of the fast food brand Jollibee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Super Liga</span> Professional volleyball league in the Philippines

The Philippine Super Liga was a non-professional corporate club women's volleyball league in the Philippines. It was first organized by SportsCore Event Management and Consultancy, Inc. and later owned by Athletic Events & Sports Management Group (ACES), Inc. The league was envisioned to provide former collegiate players a league with which they can continue with their volleyball career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Figaro Coffee</span> Philippine coffee company and coffeehouse chain

Figaro Coffee Systems Inc. is a Philippine coffee company and coffeehouse chain that works on the franchise model. As of September 2013, it had 63 outlets in Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Papua New Guinea. As of 2020, Figaro Coffee had a total of 90 outlets worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V-League (Philippines)</span> Collegiate volleyball league in the Philippines

The V-League is a collegiate volleyball league for both men and women in the Philippines organized by Sports Vision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CityMall (Philippines)</span> Shopping mall in the Philippines

CityMall Commercial Centers, Inc., simply known as CityMall, is a Philippine community shopping mall chain formed as a subsidiary of DoubleDragon Properties. As of 2023, it has 43 branches across the Philippines.

Max's Group, Inc., formerly the Max's Group of Companies, is a restaurant company in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakey's Super League</span> Womens volleyball league in the Philippines

The Shakey's Super League (SSL) is a women's volleyball league in the Philippines contested within the collegaite and high school levels. The league is organized by Shakey's Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. (SPAVI) and the Athletic Events and Sports Management Group Inc. (ACES).

References

  1. 1 2 Dumlao-Abadilla, Doris (3 December 2018). "Globalizing corporate Philippines". business.inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  2. ↑ "Potato Corner Seeks Franchisees As it Ramps Up Branches to 5,000 in Next 5 Years". Entrepreneur.com.ph. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 Gamboa, Rey (10 December 2016). "A very interesting entrepreneurial start". The Philippine Star . Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  4. ↑ Featherston, Ellie (25 July 2019). "We're fast. We're always ready: Jose Magsaysay". The CEO Magazine. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "PH's leading french fries business Potato Corner opens first store in HK". Primer Media Inc. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "Potato Corner's first Hong Kong store is an early hit". ABS-CBN News . 13 April 2017. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  7. ↑ Rivas, Ralf (24 December 2021). "Shakey's buys Potato Corner". Rappler. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  8. ↑ "Shakey's buys Potato Corner Singapore". Malaya Business Insight. 9 March 2022. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "PRESS RELEASE – POTATO CORNER CELEBRATES 30 FLAVORFUL YEARS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP" (PDF). Shakey's Pizza. 19 December 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  10. ↑ Arceo-Dumlao, Tina. "New life, new vision". Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "Our History". Potato Corner. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Potato Corner addresses flak over insensitive job posting that went viral". Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  13. ↑ "Potato Corner apologizes for viral 'discriminatory' job posting". Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  14. ↑ Malasig, Jeline (22 August 2023). "'Taking this seriously': Potato Corner says it values 'diversity' amid flak over job posting". Interaksyon. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.