Success Beyond Showbiz: Marvin Agustin, the restaurant mogul
By Gerry Plaza
Who can forget the cheesy lines that bombarded audiences of those 90s teen flicks, particularly those from the overeager boy-next-door romantic named Marvin Agustin?
We saw him destined for greater things.
And he fulfilled that promise—in showbiz and beyond it.
50 restos, 11 brands
And what he did offcam seemed grander, with rewards more bountiful and enduring. In fact, his success away from tinseltown bears emulation, if stars are wise enough to think beyond the present.
As many of you already know, Marvin the heartthrob is now Marvin the chief of a growing restaurant empire. While he certainly had help, Marvin has carved out a niche in his mostly fusion concept restaurants that have become fixtures in major malls.
With partners Ricky Laudico and Raymund Magdaluyo, Marvin has now opened nearly 50 restaurants nationwide encompassing 11 brands—SumoSam, Kung Fu Kitchen, Tokyo Grill, John & Yoko, Mr. Kurosawa, Johnny Chow, Marciano’s, Komrad, Robotosan, Gambino and his latest, the buffet restaurant Banzai.
No business degree
What makes Marvin success even more astonishing is that he has no business degree to speak of. What seems to fuel him is the drive and passion to succeed and ingeniousness that’s second to none.
Marvin is seen as having conceptualized his restaurants and then collaborating with his partners in having those ideas materialize into dining places with delectable menu items that have captured the public’s fancy.
Nope, he isn’t just a figurehead business owner, relying on star power to push his babies. In fact, Marvin’s face is largely absent in his restaurants when it would be a no-brainer to have him stand as the default celebrity endorser of his enterprises.
Hardship before entering showbiz
If you’re wondering where Marvin honed his entrepreneurial side when all we remember of him was his team-up with Jolina Magdangal, we have to look at his life before he went into showbiz.
In early his teens, Marvin suffered years of hardship—making ends meet while overseeing a family riddled with misfortune. One precious lesson he learned through all that was a smart and careful management of his finances.
It helped that Marvin had a perky yet driven disposition. These qualities helped him choose the right people to work with to achieve his goals.
In the same league as Jollibee
As important, Marvin knew how to sustain his ventures, allowing them to flourish year after many years.
In fact, his biggest award hasn’t come from showbiz; his prized recognition was being named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the prestigious Ernst and Young and SGV Foundation in 2012—putting him in the league of past winners like Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee, Nanay Socorro Ramos of National Bookstore and Lance Gokongwei of Cebu Pacific.
With this achievement, and the right choices he continues to make, we are sure we won’t see the last of Marvin—not just on the reruns of his old movies on TV but also on the delectations he serves us now and in the future from his ever-expanding restaurant empire.
Read more inspirational ‘Success Beyond Showbiz’ stories:
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Paula Peralejo and her restless feet
