In 1996, three college friends—Louie Vera, Richie Yang, and Robert Epes—took a bold risk that helped shape the casual dining landscape in the Philippines. With no prior experience in the restaurant industry, they brought the American brand Chili’s to Manila—starting from a location everyone told them to avoid.
“We opened our first branch on December 3, 1996, at Greenbelt 1,” says Louie Vera, now CEO of Chili’s Philippines. “Maraming nag-discourage sa amin nyan. Sabi nila malas yang location na ‘yan. We were probably the fourth restaurant to try to set up there.”
But they believed in the brand. The three met while studying at Santa Clara University in California, where Chili’s was part of their college routine. “During college, we used to go to this Chili’s in Cupertino, where the headquarters of Apple is located today,” Vera recalls.
After college, the group briefly went their separate ways—Vera stayed in the U.S. to work, Yang returned to the Philippines, and Epes was in Guam. But in 1994, they regrouped and started discussing business ideas. “Robert said, ‘Gusto nyo franchise?’” Vera shares. “One of his ideas was Chili’s. He actually wrote to them. The inquiry somehow got routed to the Asian master franchise. They got impressed and gave us the rights.”
The franchise package came with extensive support, but launching the business still came with major gaps. “When we opened Chili’s, they were very helpful. Kompleto yung materials nila,” Vera says. “They trained our staff—bartenders, cooks. They gave us an architect for design and even sent plans to America for comments. So inside the restaurant, walang problema.”
But everything else—HR, accounting, supply chain—they had to figure out themselves.
“We had no office,” Vera admits. “I remember we hired managers by going through the job ads in the Bulletin. Kami nagbabasa, kami nag-iinterview. We had no HR back then. We were building everything from scratch.”
They also made the decision not to rely on any of their family-owned businesses. “We built it on its own,” Vera says. “But slowly, after one year, we started hiring—an accountant, someone for purchasing, then eventually HR, and then IT. Pa konti-konti.”
Despite the shaky start and skepticism about the location, the first branch became an instant hit. “At that time, it was very good. Malakas,” he says. “There was so little competition in Manila. Any new restaurant, pipilahan. They were lining up for practically six months.”
That momentum allowed them to expand. Their second branch opened in Greenhills in 1998, followed by a third in Tomas Morato. Nearly three decades later, Chili’s Philippines has grown to 20 branches, surviving economic downturns, the pandemic, and changing consumer habits.
What started as a college friendship and a risky bet on a U.S. brand became a successful franchise story built through hustle, resourcefulness, and a willingness to learn by doing.
“We didn’t know everything,” Vera reflects. “But we just kept learning, adapting, and building.”
And that so-called “unlucky” spot in Greenbelt 1? It’s now a milestone marker in one of the country’s most inspiring franchise journeys.
This article includes quotes from an interview originally published by Esquire Philippines, authored by Henry Ong.
