Potato Corner has been the leader in the food cart/kiosk/ counter-type business in the country for 16 years. Aside from its popular flavored French fries, the company also offers other delectable products such as baked potatoes, hash browns and loopy fries.

The company capitalized on the famous shaking ceremony—the signature move of flavoring the fires—to attract customers.

Cinco Corp. launched its operations in 1992. After three months, its franchise operations began. By 1994, Potato Corner grew to having 70 outlets—a combination of carts, kiosk, and counters.

The company has succeeded in turning franchising into one of the most promising and lucrative ventures in the country and has started to make a mark in the global community.

Potato Corner has also earned the distinction of winning Best Franchise of the Year for three consecutive years, bagging the Franchise Excellence Hall of Fame Award given by the Philippine Franchise Association and Trade Department in 2003.

Potato Corner managed to weather 1998’s Asian economic crisis. It is on its track in its planned hyper-growth year by targeting to increase its revenues by 100 percent versus last year’s. Potato Corner has 200 outlets and continues to grow. Interestingly, 70 percent of these outlets are franchises.

Owning a Potato Corner franchise can be a good business opportunity for retirees and returning migrant workers.

The international arena is Potato Corner’s natural next step, beginning with 10 shops in Indonesia and Los Angeles, California. The company is also poised to enter Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Middle East.

Potato Corner offers business opportunities with attractive franchise packages that allow anyone with a passion for business to start his or her own kiosk, standard cart, school cart or hole-in-the-wall. The outlets can ideally be located in malls, shopping centers, commercial spaces, schools, bus terminals, bazaars and special events. Potato Corner also offers a “no cash out” partnership plan for selected applicants and sites. Cinco Corp. provides training for manpower pool on basic cart operation and product handling plus assistance in local store marketing and product development.

Potato Corner, the first and original flavored fries in the country, continued its international expansion by setting up outlets in the states of California and New Mexico.

The company has already expanded its global reach to Indonesia and Malaysia according to CEO and President Jose Magsaysay Jr (top, rightmost). Magsaysay, who sits as PFA vice president for MSME Development, was recently honored by PLDT SME Nation as one of the 2011 “Bossing Ako” awardees for being an SME hero of business and Filipino pride.

Potato Corner’s first ever branch in the United States is located at Westfield Santa Anita Mall in Arcadia City, LA County. Other branches have sprouted at the Tanforan Mall in San Bruno City, San Francisco Bay Area; Westfield Topanga Mall in Canoga Park, LA County; Cottonwood Mall in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Los Cerritos Center in LA County.

Last February, the sixth and newest store opened at Glendale Americana Mall in Glendale, LA County,

Since opening its first store in 1992 at SM Megamall, Potato Corner has grown to 200 outlets nationwide, of which 70 percent is franchise-operated.

While it is true that the potato is carbohydrate-rich, and too much fried potato combined with sedentary lifestyle can make one overweight, a medium-sized potato, when prepared raw or boiled, can actually help manage one’s weight. Since it is low-fat and lacking in high-fat nutrients like sodium and cholesterol, the medium-sized potato, at only 110 calories, isn’t fattening. According to the US Potato Board, the feeling of fullness the potato gives even helps control one’s cravings and ward off unwanted pounds.

The potato’s skin, in particular, contains most of the vegetable’s nutrients and fiber. According to some folk remedies, facial blemishes can be treated by washing them with a cold potato juice every day. Sunburn or frostbite can also be cured by rubbing potato juice or raw or grated potato on the affected area. Water used to boil potatoes is said to be potent in easing pain when applied on the aching body part.

Small but terrible

But the potato has a bigger role to play than just for nutrition or natural remedy. It is, says the United Nations (UN), an answer to the global economic crisis and to widespread hunger.

“The potato has been eyed as a solution to avert the risk of food shortages and instability in many low-income countries. As the world’s top non-grain food commodity with a production record reaching 320 million tons in 2007, its consumption has especially expanded in developing countries like the Philippines. This accounts for more than half the global harvest. With easy cultivation and high energy content, the potato has also become a valuable cash crop for millions of farmers,” reports the magazine Potato-bilities in its January-March 2009 issue.

“Their accessibility and abundance make them a natural choice as food for the poor and hungry, where land is limited and labor is cheap like in most developing countries. Potatoes are also produced more quickly on less land and in harsher climates as compared to other major crops,” the magazine continues.

According to Potato-bilities, UN eyes the potato as an instrument to its Millenium Development Goals, particularly in the following areas: poverty eradication, reduction of child mortality, maternal health improvement and environmental sustainability.

“Undernourishment is cited as a major factor in poor health and may lead to death. Better access to safe and nutritious food like the nutrient-rich potato can improve target populations, particularly women and children,” explains the magazine’s report.

Where to go

for everything potato

Thanks to fast-food chains, everyone can readily access the potato and its many benefits, including its vitamins and nutrients. Children, in particular, love mashed potatoes and french fries, said Jose Magsaysay Jr., chief executive officer of Cinco Corp., the company behind one of the country’s leading food cart businesses, Potato Corner.

As a follow up to Potato Corner’s 18-year success in the market and to fuel Filipinos’ fondness for carbohydrate-rich food like potatoes, Cinco Corp. recently launched the Spud Diner, touted as the country’s first potato concept restaurant. As the expanded version of Potato Corner, Spud Diner offers an all-potato menu — from soups, to main dish and even dessert.

“At the Spud Diner, potatoes are no longer served as sidings, but are incorporated as the main ingredient for all dishes,” remarked Cinco. “It is a new place in town where everyone can experience the many creative ways to enjoy the potato.”

Through the help of chefs, Internet research, cookbooks and the US Potato Board, Cinco Corp. was able to cook up traditional and novel potato-based dishes for Spud Diner. These specialties include Baked Potato Lasagna, prepared like a traditional lasagna but using potato sheets instead of pasta. Other must-try’s are Potato and Sausage Surprise, Tuna Sisig and Chorizo and Potato Chowder. The common french fries is given a lift as Ice Cream Temptation, wherein the french fries are bathed in chocolate powder and served with a vanilla ice cream topping. Magsaysay said they would soon try serving the french fries in off-beat flavors like bubblegum or strawberry.

According to him, they have to import their potatoes all the way from the US because the Philippines’ local potato variety is of the kamote (yam) type, not as flexible as the US variety especially when used to experiment on new dishes. The taste of US potatoes, too, is more appealing than other varieties, he explained.

The Spud Diner’s first branch is now open at The Columns in Sen. Gil Puyat Street, Makati City, a good location as it is easily accessible to Makati’s students and yuppies, said Magsaysay. The restaurant has also recently opened its second branch in SM City Cebu, while the Potato Corner continues its expansion with new outlets in Jakarta, Indonesia and in Los Angeles, California.

Magsaysay envisions to open 10 more Spud Diner outlets in key locations all over the country. By that time, he wishes to expand the menu from all potatoes to chicken dishes.

“I hope Spud Diner would become the next biggest Filipino fastfood chain after Jollibee,” he enthused.

With reports from Potato-bilities, January-March 2009, Issue No. 1.