Manila, Philippines — In today’s age of technology and the Internet, restaurants are facing the challenge of shifting from traditional strategies to innovative marketing solutions to guarantee their success. Recognizing this need, Zomato Philippines adopted the theme “Conquering the Digital Age” for the first-ever Zomato Restaurant Summit in the country, to help the restaurant industry to meet the ever-changing demands of the industry.
The summit, which took place last May 19 at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City, brought together local restaurateurs, industry experts, and foodies to share insights, discuss trends and issues, and share knowledge and best practices that will keep the industry successful in the digital era.
The summit included plenary sessions on building brand love and managing crises in the age of social media; investment opportunities in the Philippine restaurant industry, crafting rewards and incentives for loyal customers, as well as integrating technology in the restaurant business. There were also panel discussions on keeping businesses sustainable, wooing the millennials, food tourism, and evolution of Filipino restaurants.
“There will always be something new to talk about in the restaurant industry,” shared Zomato Philippines country manager Anton Ojeda. “In the advent of fast-changing technology and ever evolving social media, the industry needs to come up with ways to keep up. With the summit, Zomato hopes to let the industry know that we are here to lead the sector and help them take their businesses to a whole new level.”
Zomato is the world’s largest online and mobile restaurant discovery service, providing in-depth information for over 1 million restaurants across 22 countries. In the Philippines alone, Zomato helps millions of foodies discover new places to eat by providing information for over 11,000 restaurants across Metro Manila.
Based on the data Zomato Philippines gathered, Filipinos have become more and more reliant to the Internet when it comes to restaurant reviews, and that people are more open to giving their restaurant feedbacks based on their own experiences through their blogs and social media accounts. “The Internet is so massive, you can find almost everything there. And with the way people rely on it to make decisions such as where to eat, the restaurant industry must take advantage of what technology and social media can do to help their businesses get more visibility in the digital space.”
During the press conference, Ojeda also announced the company’s expansion of services to Cebu. Now, users can search information about their favorite restaurants in Cebu via the app. “Cebu is a world-famous travel and food destination, not just for Manila dwellers but also for international travelers. Based on recurring customer feedback, we jumped on board, explored the city, and began collecting data to provide better food and restaurant search information for the hungry public. We scouted close to 3,000 restaurants and we’re excited to eat in all of them with fellow foodies.” Ojeda said.
Apart from the plenary and breakout sessions, the summit also had networking sessions and an exhibit featuring the products and services of some participating event sponsors. Event sponsors include Globe myBusiness, PLDT SME Nation, MegaWorld Lifestyle Malls, SM Supermalls, AdSpark, Krispy Kreme, Max’s, Pancake House, Yellow Cab Pizza, TeamAsia, Asahi, Tanduay Ice Zero, Red Oak, Global Academy, Clara Ole, San Remo Pasta, Tabasco, Vivo, Monde Food Service, Goods.Ph, Visa, Hafele, Illy, Bosch, Merit Stainless Steel, Pernod Ricard, Cignal, Colours, CNN Philippines, Jack TV, CT Channel, OurAwesomePlanet.com, BusinessWorld, ABS-CBN, ANC, ChoosePhilippines.com, Food Magazine, Lifestyle Network, Working Mom, and Business & Commerce Asia.
