SHAMCEY

SUPSUP-LEE
Young Entrepreneur

Queenylyn S. Javier
1CMT1U
Who is Shamcey Supsup?

Beauty queen and architect Shamcey Supsup is

a familiar name to many people. Besides
graduating magna cum laude in B.S Architecture from
the University of the Philippines and later emerging as
a topnotcher in the 2010 licensure exams, she won
the title of Bb. Pilipinas Universe. Her tsunami walk
at the Miss Universe stage helped her bag the third
runner up prize.
HOW DID SHE STARTS WITH HER
BUSINESS
The idea of opening a restaurant started a year after
their wedding in 2013. Back then, Shamcey was helping
with her mom’s business while her husband was into his
family’s. The couple wanted their own enterprise so they
could spend more time together.
Shamcey remembers her hesitation in putting her
hard-earned money into a new venture. When her
husband said they should get into business, Shamcey
said “No”. They had no prior experience with their own
business and Shamcey have seen a lot of people
around her who are not successful with their business.
But her husband convinced her otherwise.
 The two then decided to become restaurateurs as both
have a passion for food, settling on an establishment that's
Filipino-themed.
To put up the restaurant, Shamcey and her husband
each shelled out P1.5 million from their savings and also
took out a loan. Investing all of their savings was scary but it
was a gamble the couple was willing to take.
Shamcey said“It was a tough decision but...we were ready
to take the risk because at that time there were just the two
of us. We didn’t have a baby yet so sabi ko mawala man
'yung capital natin kaya pa natin mag-work, mag-ipon.”
 In February 2015, the couple opened the first branch of
 Pedro n’ Coi, an 80-seater restaurant in a mall in Quezon
City. Shamcey describes the first branch as a mom-and-pop
venture as the couple’s initial capital was insufficient to procure
all they needed to run it smoothly.
They did not have an outside kitchen, as well as enough
equipment and manpower, but the couple was determined to
make the business work, unafraid of waiting on tables and taking
orders. Shamcey and Lloyd also had to find creative solutions to
make up for the lack of equipment and kitchen space. 
 Their determination and hard work paid off as they now have
a total of 12 restaurants, after opening six more branches of
Pedro n’ Coi, and four branches of Tambayan ni Pedro, a fast-
food version of the original restaurant. They also revived Scott
Burger, a classic from the '80s, which has one stall in Bonifacio
Global City.
She says venturing into the food industry taught her to
communicate and relate with different people—a skill, she
admits she wasn’t great at. 
What’s the key to her Success

Shamcey stresses that being able to communicate well

with her staff and customers is one of the key ingredients
in running a successful business. “It’s not enough that you
have a great product or a great concept--the most
important in a business is the people working there.“

Her advice to those who would like to open a restaurant

is to plan carefully and be flexible. “Before anything you
plan first and talk to people who's done it and then do it.”